Tuesday 8 September 2015

Fred And Wilma's House For Sale. Solar Panel Flowers. Baby Jesus Makes Room On The Tree!

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PRESS RELEASE FRIDAY - COMES LATE THIS WEEK!

Fred and Wilma's home is finally up for sale. Put a solar panel in your flower garden. Will Baby Jesus make room for Yoda on the X-Mas tree? It is Press Release Friday, albeit a few days late. 3 interesting press releases that crossed my desk in the past 7 days.
The Flintstone Home

The Original Flintstone Home
FRED FLINTSTONE’S HOME, 5-MILLION YEARS LATER it is still not in a Rubble. I received an advance notice listing from California based Alain Pinel Realtors. They sent along a press release announcing that the “The Flintstone House” near San Francisco, California will go up for sale next week.
The iconic Hillsborough California landmark was designed in 1976 by architect William Nicholson. “The single family home received its nickname for its unique exterior which boasts multiple stone domes in an organic flow,” says the release.
“The unique appearance of the home is the result of Nicholson’s use of experimental architecture and non-traditional building materials,” continues the presser. “The bubble-like domes were constructed by spraying shotcrete onto steel rebar and mesh frames over inflated aeronautical balloons. Originally painted off-white, the one-of-a-kind building was painted orange in 2007 and now includes a purple accent dome. The exceptional residence has been admired by tourists and travelers alike. However, it wasn’t always loved and initially met resistance in the community.”
Asking price for the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house? $4.2 million. But, if a bidding war develops, expect to pay way more before you can yell “Wilma I am HOMEEEEEE!”

WILL BABY JESUS COMPLAIN IF YODA REPLACES THE STAR AT THE TOP OF YOUR XMAS TREES? 
Star Wars for the X-Mas tree
As Retail / Marketing excitement builds for the Dec. 18 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Hallmark Cards has just announced new tie-in products coming to stores before the movie’s premiere. This new line features heroes and villains from the coming sci-fi film. Hallmark will be selling Star Wars inspired Christmas Cards, Wrapping Paper and Christmas Tree Ornaments.
“The Force Awakens slate from Hallmark kicks off Oct. 3 when the Kylo Ren branded ornament joins the ranks of other Star Wars Keepsake Ornaments on Keepsake Ornament Debut weekend,” reads a Hallmark launch press release. “The chrome-armoured Captain Phasma ornament (one of the Christmas Tree friendly bangles) will become available starting Nov. 6.”
“Greeting cards for all occasions will feature characters and spacecraft from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and will be available for sending this Fall. Additional Christmas ornaments, including decorative ball sets and sculpted figures of new Star Wars characters will be at participating retailers nationwide.”
Hallmark anticipates a huge response from consumers when the products hit store shelves and on the company’s website. They are already limiting the number of units you can buy at any one time.. So if your children urges you to jet over to the mall and attempt to fight you neighbours for that Star Wars Christmas“stuff” remember what Yoda says - “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

WHY DOES YOUR BACKYARD FLOWER FOLLOW THE SUN? 


The Smartflower Garden Power Plant


In just one hour a new backyard solar panel gadget can be installed and automatically tracking sunlight to provide power to your home. And best yet, this green machine looks like a giant metal flower!
The makers of smartflower™ sent out a press release last week announcing a backyard friendly solar panel system that looks like some futuristic robot flower. “ With smartflower™, we have created the world’s first all-in-one plug & play photovoltaic system” that will cheaply generate electricity for your home or cottage.
“Smartflower™ follows the sun by means of GPS controlled tracking, even in cloudy conditions. It is possible to find the position of the sun at any location worldwide. This ensures that smartflower™ always provides the highest possible output (of electricity)” continues the release. “It is mobile! And this is an essential advantage in comparison to conventional systems. If you move house, simply take your private solar power plant along with you.”
As the Beatles say – Here Comes the Sun and Power to the People. The release doesn’t mention how much the Sunflower sells for. Oh by the way, it comes in the colour of your choice.

LITTLE BYTES: Maureen Downey, named the "Sherlock Holmes of Wine" by Bloomberg ,issued a press release which announces the official launch of WineFraud.com, the first  of its kind resource for sellers, buyers and producers of fine wine.  
The Sherlock Holmes of Wine
The aim of the subscription service  WineFraud.com is to raise awareness of wine fraud and counterfeiting issues in the wine trade and among consumers. “The mission of the site is to make it difficult for wine fraudsters to thrive by raising awareness and knowledge, as well as increasing due diligence,” reads the release. “The ultimate goal is to end wine counterfeiting and fraud, creating a more transparent and authentic global wine marketplace.”
Unfortunately for me the site doesn’t consider that there is any danger of box wines being counterfeited.
High school athletes who play on sports teams smoke tobacco products at a lower rate than non-athletes, but use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate, according to a press released by the US based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Chew down on this – “the lower use of combustible tobacco products might result from athletes' awareness of how smoking can hurt athletic performance. The higher use of smokeless tobacco (ie chewing tobacco and snuff)  suggests athletes may perceive these products as harmless, socially acceptable, or perhaps even as a way to boost athletic performance.”
“However,” continues the release “smokeless tobacco contains nicotine and cancer-causing chemicals and may increase the risk of death from heart disease and stroke. Notable athletes with a history of smokeless tobacco use have been diagnosed with or died from oral cancer.”