Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
Undreamed of use for duct tape
In compiling our Humorousness column this month (“You Might Be An Oregonian If…”), we visited the website of Jeff Foxworthy. It’s really fun and there are a lot of great laughs, but one of his readers had sent a story that really stood out. Seems he was on a fishing trip in Alaska when a bear destroyed the small plane parked near their campsite. This could have been a story about hardcore survival in the wilderness, but it’s even scarier… it’s a story about fixing AND FLYING an airplane with a sheet of plastic and some duct tape. Not possible? Look at the pictures…
Best idea of the century!
In the Indian state of Gujarat, farming water flows through almost 12,000 miles of open irrigation canals. Evaporation is a major problem, but so is the inconsistent and expensive electrical supply throughout India. Here’s the idea that solves both problems… solar panels on top of all the irrigation canals. The electricity advantage is obvious, but there are other benefits… the panels reduce evaporation, the water in the canals keeps the panels cool and operating at higher efficiency, and no expensive land deals were needed to find a place for the panels. It’s a demonstration project now with less than a mile covered, but stay tuned!
The British are coming! And they aren’t paying taxes!
Large corporations famously avoid paying taxes by moving their “operations” offshore using a thousand accounting tricks unavailable to small businesses. Until now. Independent traders in the Welsh village of Crickhowell are staging the Powys Tax Rebellion in protest. They’ve banded together to create a zero-tax plan modeled on the plans of the Big Boys, and they are making it available to other towns in the UK. They don’t necessarily want to avoid taxes themselves, but they hope to draw attention and close the loopholes the Big Boys use. Possibly coming to a town near you!
Which candidate agrees with YOU?
You may already be backing a particular horse in the 2016 race, but when you drill down do they really represent your views? This quiz from ISideWith.com asks for your detailed responses to many current issues, and then measures the candidates against your anwsers. Fill it out and it will tell you which politician agrees with YOUR agenda! Our Dwyer Guinea Pig tried it… 98% Bernie, 93% Hillary, 80% O’Malley, 53% Webb, and 39% Rand Paul. From the bottom, he matched only 9% with Rubio, and 8% with Fiorina. You may be surprised exactly who YOU match up with!
