philosopher gurl: The art of the perfect prank

Friday, April 1, 2011

The art of the perfect prank

30 March 2011

Source: BBCnews

Jeremy Beadle's pranks were a huge TV hit in the UK

As April Fools jokers hatch their plans, what's the secret to a perfect prank, asks broadcaster Toby Amies. And how far do the very best tricksters go in preparing their practical jokes?

This article is not a hoax. I promise you. It's a serious work about the practical joke.

How far would you go to pull off a prank? The dole queue? In 1987, a young British broadcaster called Chris Morris let off helium into the BBC Bristol studio, causing the newsreader's stories to reach a higher and higher pitch. Chris lost his job. And started his career in satire.

Would you risk prison? Pranks are often protests, against unfairness or authority or reality. And protest is increasingly risky in the 21st Century.

As the film director Billy Wilder said: "If you are going to tell people the truth, be funny or they will kill you."

Click here to read more at BBCnews

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Greetings

I am searching for my own voice, but I often find it expressed through the words of others. So I decided to share. "When life feels hard, keep on running. Run with your face to the wind, legs pushing dirt and arms pounding the breeze. Don't look back. Sometime soon you can lie on the pinnacle of the nearest mountain while the wind and earth and sky soak your being with the intoxicating knowledge that even when you thought you would never make it here, you refused to take the easy path and you never gave up." ~Christina Mauro

So Here's What's New

Growth is happening.....

I'm working on developing a healthier perspective so please; bear with me.

What I've learned:

Happiness is a choice.

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." ~James Oppenheim

I just need to remember that "happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have" and stay present...

Corita Kent:

Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed.

Anne Frank:

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world (or themselves for that matter)!

Palm Readings...

I did an online palm reading online today because a cousin and I were talking about palmistry the other day and I wanted to try it out for fun to see if my results would come up with any sort of accuracy. I tried several sites; I didn't realize that it could be so time consuming. While I will warn everyone not to waste their time on the Tickle Website, there are some legitimate sites out there that you can get a FREE reading. My favorite site, although there seems to be some sort of problem with the reader today, but I would definitely check out periodically is @ http://www.astroguru.com/astro/palm.php . The other site that I used today, that I emailed my cousin about is @
http://www.astroyogi.com/palmreading/result.asp .
Here is what they had to say about my hand [and felt that all of the observations were pretty spot on].

Hi Monica, you have a vigorous hand. Dynamism, power, leadership and zest characterise your personality. Highly energised and enthusiastic, you hold out even during tough times. But remember not to overdo this. Your decision-making is swift and on-the-spot most of the times. Versatility is thy other name. You are also romantic, but with a generous dash of challenge thrown in. Your index finger is short. This makes you a dependable team player. A position of command is not for you. But you do have a keen eye for detail. You can be impulsive; not all your moves are quite rational. Look out! Stress could get the better of you. Your index finger being shorter than your ring finger tells us that you are a bit of a dreamer - a sensitive, idealistic dreamer. You mull a lot over minute, subtle detail. The bigger picture cannot be complete for you otherwise. But your personality can do a near-instant makeover to realism if faced with a situation of urgency. You are then a proactive, practical person to the core. Your middle finger being longer than the adjoining fingers in length signifies an even view towards life. You are extremely organised; seldom ever do you 'come apart' in any situation. You seem to have all stages of your life worked out to the last detail, and possess an unbiased and sagacious personality. You evaluate and analyse all your actions towards achieving your goals in life and get there through sheer dedication and will power. Your ring finger levels out halfway through the middle of your middle finger nail. This means you lead life in equilibrium. You are self-motivated and purposeful. Since your little finger is set lower than your other fingers, you encumber and impede your own life. The pursuit of goals seems unimportant to you and hence you make no effort to reach out. Your little finger reaches above the first flexure line (joint) of your ring finger. You have the gift of the gab and can talk endlessly - all you need is a listening partner. you have a vigorous hand. Dynamism, power, leadership and zest characterise your personality. Highly energised and enthusiastic, you hold out even during tough times. But remember not to overdo this. Your decision-making is swift and on-the-spot most of the times. Versatility is thy other name. You are also romantic, but with a generous dash of challenge thrown in. You have a long life and will live to up to about 70. You are a peaceful creature. All you want is tranquility; any sort of discord unsettles you completely. Your lifeline does not touch your line of head. You are an independent and non-conventional person. Don't let over confidence get the better of you. Your headline ends in a fork. You contemplate deeply before executing plans. This trait is usually inherent in lawyers and authors. Your headline is medium straight. You are a highly rational individual. You are thought oriented and never act before thinking it through. You are a solid person with fantastic reserves of energy. A doting parent and loyal friend, you are very protective towards those whom you love. Make sure you don't overdo this. The commitments you make are for keeps. Your fate line is aligned; your self esteem is firmly in place. You have the ability to be guided by your own insight.
I'm curious to know whether or not there is some sort of bio-neuro connection to your personality and the shape and lines in your hand. Has anyone done this study. The scary accuracy and similarities between my personality tests and the reading results is kind of freaky. Also, from time to time I'll do a tarot reading on http://www.facade.com/ and even though I don't necessarily believe in that stuff, I find it fun to play with from time to time. The readings there for the most part on any given day are just specifically abstract to keep me interested and wondering if they have some method of tracking my surfing habits or something [because, "how would they otherwise know that]?
If the concept of "eternal damnation", and "evil" as my mother would call it doesn't phase you [cause as you can see I don't believe in THAT stuff], feel free to check it some time. I promise it will have you scratching your head and saying, "hmmm." I wonder how this stuff works and if there's any reasonable or scientific explanation to why these things are so eerily evident. Perhaps it's more of a philosophical question instead of whether or not I perceive these things to be accurate is based upon my relative experience [like my thoughts and memories create correlations, rather than the readings being accurate themelves. What do you think?

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