There are more possums in New Zealand than people

There are more possums in New Zealand than people - 70 million of them, which is a disturbing ratio of 20 to 1. The Australian brush-tailed possum was introduced to New Zealand in 1873 for fur trading (someone call PETA).



Unfortunately for the Kiwis, the possums found abundant food and had no natural predators, so they quickly multiplied, and now run a muck of the countryside, spreading disease and eating everything (one little fur ball can eat up to a half a pound of vegetation a day) including endangered Kiwi eggs.

I came face to face with a possum this evening while walking my beast. Here in NJ we don't have cute little big eared possums, we have these evil burnt rat looking creatures...



There are some things on this planet that should clearly refrain from procreation.


For more information on possums, click here.

A special thanks to Katie Foley for editing my posts for grammar.

The first modern infomercial promoted local real estate

The first modern infomercial series promoted local real estate and was broadcast on XETV San Diego in the 1970s. The program ran for one hour on Sunday.

Nowadays infomercials run for hours at a time, and promote products from pimple creams, to juicers to hardware. These hour-long commercials usually feature colorful hosts and studio audiences in awe of the miracle product in front of them.

I have to admit, I am one of those people who gets sucked into infomercials. I own magic knives, oxiclean, the Pulse mix CD (I was young with my first credit card, don't make fun) orange glo, the magic bullet, some mop/dog hair remover and countless other amazing products. While I do love my job, I think it would be awesome to be an infomercial host.



One of the greatest infomercial hosts of all time, Billy Mays, passed away today - very sad. He promoted countless products, and had thousands of fans around the globe.

Here's a great video of Billy outside the studio, having fun ordering McDonalds as only Billy Mays could...

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died today, June 25, 2009 at the age of 50.

Very sad.

Michael Jackson - Black or White (Full Uncut version) - kewego
Michael Jackson - Black or White

Keywords: michael jackson black or white

Video from niyu

A morsel of chocolate will not kill your dog

A morsel of chocolate will not kill your dog, but larger quantities can be deadly. It isn't really the chocolate that is bad for the dog, it is a stimulant found in cocoa beans called theobromine, which can also be found in cola beverages, tea and acai berries.

Theobromine is tolerable for humans, but for dogs can cause poisoning, even death, because they are unable to metabolize it, and it can remain in the bloodstream for up to 20 hours. Symptoms of theobromine poisoning include vomiting and diarrhea, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching and frequent urination.

It is very important to not give in to your dog, no matter how much they beg, whine, whimper and look up at you with those big (green devil) eyes for chocolate.

Just say NO

Dogs are affected differently by different kinds of chocolate. For example, here is how much of the following chocolates it would take to poison Chloe, my 20 lb Jack Russell-Beagle mix...

• White chocolate - 250 lbs would cause signs of poisoning
• Milk chocolate/Semi-sweet - 1 lb or 4 - 6 candy bars would be poisonous
• Sweet cocoa - 1/3 lb would be poisonous
• Baking chocolate - 2 oz would be poisonous

If you suspect your dog (or cat, bird, horse etc.) is showing signs of theobromine poisoning, take it for medical care immediately. Some websites offer tips on how to care for a poisoned animal, but personally, I'd rather leave it to the professionals. If you are looking for emergency animal care in NE NJ, I would recommend Animal Emergency & Referral Associates (love them), otherwise check your local Google search.

Other human foods that are bad for dogs include avocado, macadamia nuts, onions, grapes, raisins, garlic, foods high in fat, salt or artificial sweeteners, and alcoholic beverages...

Oops.

For more info on dog and cat care visit Pet Place.

Graduates originally wore caps and gowns to keep warm

Graduates originally wore caps and gowns to keep warm. The first university was established back in 12th century England. Back then, higher education was run by the church, which was run by monks and clergy. These clergymen lived in churches - very cold, drafty, castle like churches. To keep warm, they wore... you guessed it... gowns (thick robes) and thus the clothing worn at graduation was created to be like that of the clergy who ran it.

In 1894 a group of scholars met at Columbia College to decide on academic dress, and in 1895 created the Depository for the Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume, making the cap and gown official grad wear.

The cap that grads wear is also derived from clothing worn by religious figures, and is also referred to as a mortarboard, because it looks like the tool masons use to lay bricks.

Tonight I attended a very special graduation ceremony - my darling brother, Max Randall Branigan, was the 10th member of my family to graduate from Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ. He will continue his education at Rutgers University, where he has been accepted into the prestigious Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Congratulations Max!

Smart people love quickie contests!

Smart people love quickie contests! Yes - they do! Since it is Monday, and it has been raining for 10 years, I thought I would brighten your day with a little fun.

First person to guess what the following image is, wins it. (I'll also give a prize for most creative guess)

Ready, set, go!

Superfood for a Superdad

A 'superfood' is a food with high phytonutrient content (say what?), or in other words, has great health benefits. According to WebMD, everyone's favorite Internet doctor, some superfoods that can help you live a healthier, longer life are beans, broccoli, oranges, tomatoes, spinach, soy, pumpkin, salmon, oats, tea, walnuts, turkey and the ever powerful blueberry.

Since it's Father's Day, and my dad is pretty super, I decided to bake him a superfood (blueberry) pie - his FAVORITE. Blueberries are are jam packed with antioxidants, vitamin B6, C, K and dietary fiber. Including blueberries in your diet can decrease your risk of cancer and heart disease and also work as a natural anti-inflammatory.

Here's how I did it...

The Filling!
4 cups blueberries (frozen are fine)
1 cup sugar
Some flour (I rarely follow directions)
Dash of salt

The Crust!
1 bottom crust (store bought)
2 top crusts (store bought) then woven into beautifulness

Combine filling ingredients, pour into bottom crust. Cover with basket weave (or just cover if you are a beginner) crust. Use a baking brush to coat lightly with egg (for shine). Bake at 425 for 10 min, then 350 for about 45 more. It should come out looking like this:



Happy Father's Day to a super dad!

Love you daddy :)

Merengue is a dance of sympathy

Merengue is a dance of sympathy, well according to one version of the story. There was a great hero who was injured in one of the many revolutionary wars of the Dominican Republic. When the hero returned to home, the villagers threw a great celebration where they danced dragging one foot, out of sympathy for the limping soldier.

Another version of the origin of Merengue is that chained sugar field workers were forced to drag their feet while harvesting to the beat of a drum, thus creating the dance.

Merengue is the official dance of the Dominican Republic, where it is regularly seen in bars and discotheques (especially ones with tourists who have a tendency towards the "drinky drinky").

El diablo bila berecha! haha

Would you like to dance Merengue too? Here's a little video to get you started.

It doesn't take a good job to "bring home the bacon"

It doesn't take a good job to "bring home the bacon." It doesn't take money either. While the meaning of the phrase today means to bring home money (getting that paper, dough, benjamins, c-notes, whatever you want to call it), the origin of the phrase is about being nice to your wife, not providing her with monetary support.

Supposedly, back, back in the twelfth century day, a church in the English town of Dunmow promised a side of bacon to any man who could swear to god that he had not fought with his wife for a year and a day. Back then, men who "brought home the bacon" were held in high regards for their good relationships with their wives.

The United States is one of the richest countries in the world and has a depressingly high divorce rate. Maybe that church had the right idea...reward people for treating each other with respect (by giving them bacon haha).

I'll start the trend with the fattiest creation I have EVER baked. Tonight I successfully replicated Bacon Cupcakes!!! (yes, replicated. Credit where credit is due, while I did put my own spin on my little coronary delights, the idea originally came from Kumquat Cupcakery - if you have the opportunity to try one of their creations, consider yourself lucky, they are AMAZING).



Now I know what you are thinking. Bacon, on a cupcake, EWW. But don't knock them till you try them. If you like the salty sweet combo of chocolate covered pretzels, then you will probably enjoy this treat.

Besides, there are farrr stranger ways to use bacon...who wouldn't want a bacon wallet to hold their cheddah? Check it out here.

For more creative ways to make your favorite fatty foods even worse for you, visit one of my FAVORITE blogs, This is why you're fat.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go enjoy my cakes, and then have a very long date with my elliptical :)

In case you needed a few more tips on rocking shades...

Autographs available upon request (haha)

The Chinese were the first to wear their sunglasses at night

The Chinese were the first to wear their sunglasses at night... (haha) no, I mean to wear the first things that resembled sunglasses.

Back back in the 12th century day, Chinese judges would wear "glasses" made of thin lenses of smokey quartz to shield their expressions when they questioned witnesses. Note, Eskimo tribes wore "sunglasses" during prehistoric times, way before the Chinese judges, but they were not made of translucent material; they were thin slices of ivory with slits cut into them, (kinda like Kanye glasses).

The first eyeglass that resembled modern sunglasses appeared during the 18th century when James Ayscough began playing around with green and blue tinted lenses in an attempt to cure vision problems.

Glamorized by Hollywood (see fig. 1), sunglasses became popular in the beginning of the 20th century. In 1929 American entrepreneur Sam Foster began to mass produce sunglasses and sell them at the Jersey Shore, (how fitting) where they were extremely popular.

Fig.1

Now we have sunglasses that come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. How do you know what is in for this season? Maybe consult the experts...



The shades featured in the segment can be found at your local Solstice Sunglass Boutique.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

I would like to wish a happy Mother's day to my mom, my grandma, my aunts, cousins and all the other mothers out there.


A special thank you to my mom, who has always thought twice for me (and my siblings), supporting me as a parent and a friend, and for loving me unconditionally.

Smart people are born in May...and winners are born in March

Smart people are born in May...and winners are born in March.

I was born on May 10 at 5:28 AM, making Miss Shana Bananas with her guess of 4:33 AM the winner of the official Encyclopedia Branigan Crownie Making Kit. Yay!! I'm guessing I might be getting a Crownie cake this year... haha.

A close runner up was Maven, who guessed 7:13 AM, in third place was LJ with 2:45 AM and honorable mention goes to JAG with 11:27 AM. They will all receive certificates from the University of Branigan for their participation.

I would also like to recognize Paul, and award him the Early Bird Gets the Worm Award, for being the first person to wish me Happy Birthday! Next contest you get three guesses. :)

Thank you for your participation!!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday which celebrates the Mexican defeat of the French army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is celebrated mostly in the region of Puebla and is not a federal holiday in Mexico.

In the U.S., however, Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated (or has been since I turned 21) by Mexican-Americans, college students and twenty-somethings. So this Cinco de Mayo, get out there, have some fun and commemorate those who fought in Pueblo so many years ago...

For more information on Cinco de Mayo, click here, or visit your local liquor store.

Enjoy!

People who listen to Beethoven have high SAT scores

People who listen to Beethoven have high SAT scores, according to a study by Virgil Griffith, a grad student from Caltech. He took music (and book) preferences from Facebook and crossed them with SAT scores and created this an ingenious cross-section of music and SAT scores, proving what kind of music high SAT scorers (and not so high scorers - sorry wanna-be country singers, rappers and fans of The Used) listen to.

But it's true! I did not score very high on my SATs. (Nope. I did really badly - I am a horrible test taker) BUT I graduated college Summa Cum Laude and I would have to say I enjoy and listen to a lot of the music on the lower end of the spectrum. So while SAT scores do impress colleges (and your mom) they are not a direct reflection of a person's intelligence.

So, all the Lil' Wayne lovers, don't give up! Just make sure you invest in a quality tutor, preferably one that listens to Beethoven.

For more information on Virgil and his awesome work, click here.

Smart people are born in May (and love free stuff)

Smart people are born in May, not to say that people in other months are not intelligent or skilled, but the month of May produces some real talent including:

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
• Audrey Hepburn
• Tom Bergeron
• Harry S. Truman
• Billy Joel
• Paul "Bono" Hewson
• Salvador Dali
• George Carlin
• Yogi Berra
• Robert Pattinson
• Stephen Colbert
• Janet Jackson
• Bob Saget
• Tina Fey
• Andre the Giant
• Cher
• Notorious B.I.G
• Mr. T
• Tommy Chong
• LaToya Jackson
• John F. Kennedy

and, last but not least, ME!


The stats are there; two Jacksons, two presidents, and two hosts of America's Funniest Home Videos. How can you argue with that? Take into account Mother's Day and Memorial Day and it's plain to see that May is where it's at.

One week from today, May 10th, will be the birthday of yours truly (it will also be Mother's Day, love you mom). So what better reason to give away FREE STUFF? YES!

Here is the deal. Guess what time I was born. So simple. So easy. What do you win if you guess correctly?


An official Encyclopedia Branigan Crownie Making Kit!!! This all-inclusive baking experience includes:

• Bowl
• Oven mitts
• Dishtowel
• Spatula
• Cookie mix
• Brownie mix
• Pan
• Oil
• Oven timer
• Measuring cup
• Official Encyclopedia Branigan Crownie recipe (you saw it here first, betty)

No, I wasn't kidding when I said all-inclusive. You get everything but the perishables. I don't mess around.

Here are the rules:

• Comment below with your guess in the hour/minute format (time zone not needed) - 0:00
  
• Choose AM or PM - if you do not include you will be disqualified
• No duplicates
• Siblings/family, asking my mom will not help you; Friends, facebooking my dad will not help you
  
• Closest time wins
• Include your e-mail address, robot style, unless you like junk mail
• Submit your guess by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, May 7th, winner will be announced on Friday, May 8th. Just in time for you to bake for Mom (or give to mom, if you are a lazy child) on Mother's Day!

Happy guessing!!

There is a 1 in 40 chance of winning Mega Millions

There is a 1 in 40 chance of winning Mega Millions, overall. The chances of winning the mega millions jackpot is 1 in 175,711,536 (so there is a 1 in 175,711,536 chance I will not be going to work tomorrow).

I'll turn it all into pennies, and swim in it.

So how is the overall chance of winning 1 on 40? Check out the chart below (courtesy of the NJ Lottery)


So say you only get the power ball, you would still win $2 - that means a $1 profit, not too shabby. While my eye is on the jackpot, I wouldn't turn my nose up at $250,000.


Mega Millions jackpots are usually, well, mega millions of dollars. Where does all the money come from? Mega millions of people. It is the largest multi-state lottery and is available in California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Now if I win, I promise I will keep on writing (I'll have more time to blog while I'm lying on my island) but I will give out MUCH bigger prizes.

What would you do if you were a mega winner?


Click here for the winning numbers.

You cannot get the swine flu from eating pork

You cannot get the swine flu (H1N1) from eating pork, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.). But you can get it from other people. There are a couple of things you can do to prevent the spread of the disease, including:

• Covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze
• Washing your hands often with soap and water
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Strengthening your immune system with good nutrition and vitamins

How do you know if you have the swine flu? Symptoms of the swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. If you think you may have the flu, do not go to work, school, wherever... go to the doctor. Don't wait, just go. Drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza have been effective in treating the flu. According to U.S. health officials, seasonal flu shots do not prevent the swine flu.

What exactly is the swine flu? According to the C.D.C.:

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

For more information about the swine flu, visit PandemicFlu.org, or follow the C.D.C. on twitter @CDCEmergency.

It's better to be bitten by a dog than a human

It's better to be bitten by a dog than a human because aside from rabies, the majority of germs in a dogs mouth do not effect humans, whereas all of the germs in a human mouth will get other humans sick. Not to say a dogs mouth isn't dirty, they eat plenty of horrible things, or that a dogs teeth wouldn't do more damage than a person's, but the risk of infection is significantly less for a dog bite than a human bite. Personally, I'd rather not be bitten by anything.

Pick your poison....

According to a reputable source (someone I know with EMT training) a human bite has a 100% chance of becoming infected. I happen to know this from experience. A friend of mine was recently bitten by a human on the PATH train (no lie). The biter was a drunk girl who was yelling and making a ruckus on the train. A male friend of mine told the girl to be quiet, as it was very annoying, and in reply she lunged at him, striking him repeatedly with her purse, and then decided to attack my other friend (an innocent bystander), and went Mike Tyson on her finger. No worries, the crazy cannibal girl was arrested...and the train is safe again. Thank you transit police. It was quite an ordeal, resulting in a trip to the hospital, a tetanus shot and an infected finger.

Friends don't let friends bite strangers.

Human bites are more common than you may think. They are the third most common kind of bite treated in emergency rooms (after evil cats and puppies), with 60% of bites occurring above the waist.

So what should you do if you, or someone you know, is bitten by a human? Here are a few steps to preventing serious infection:

• Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water (or if you are somewhere that is not available, like a train station, hydrogen peroxide or alcohol)
  

• If the wound is bleeding, apply pressure to help stop the blood flow

• Bandage the wound to protect it from further contamination
  

• Have the wound examined by a medical professional; it is very likely that antibiotics and a tetanus shot will be needed in order to prevent serious infection

For more information on the treatment of human bite wounds, click here.

More than 35 million Americans are hungry

More than 35 million Americans are hungry. Not just, I want a snack hungry, on the verge of hunger. Even worse, 12 million of these Americans are children.

Lets bring it home... according to the Poverty Research Institute, 1 out of every 5 New Jersey families cannot afford the basic necessities of life (food, shelter etc.) even though 85% of these households have one working member. Really? Sitting in my one bedroom apartment, fully stuffed from a Cheesecake Factory dinner, warm, clothed and healthy, it seems almost impossible to believe that 1 in 5 of the people in my state, my neighbors, could be unable to provide food for their families.

Unfortunately this is the reality, but it gets much, much worse. Check out these real-time stats from StopTheHunger.com. Just watch the numbers roll. One sixth of the world is undernourished - and a little more than that are obese. It doesn't make sense.

So right now there is a good possibility you are sitting in front of your computer, jaw a little dropped, and if you're in a position where you can provide food and shelter, feeling grateful for what you have in life.

How about doing something to help?

Fourteen world-famous photographers have banded together to form a coalition called “Photographers Against Hunger.” Each photographer has donated a signed an iconic print of Bruce Springsteen (long time supporter of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey). For a $25 entry fee, you are eligible to win one of these photographs. You can enter as many times as you want (hundreds, thousands of times! kidding, well unless you want to). Proceeds go to the to Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Check it out at www.backstreets.com/hunger.


For more information on how you can help the hungry in your backyard, visit the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.