Mini Clubman ~ Etch-A-Sketch Paradise

The Clubman in the Mini line of cars has at least two paradise ads floating around the Internet.  The scenes look like this:

You can see that  no dolphins, flamingoes, or hairy-chested men in Speedos were spared from these fantastic line-art displays.
Here is the speedboat/dolphin version:

 
And here’s the Speedo/airplane/flamingo/metal-detector version:

 
In spite of the everyday symbols of [...]

Palm Sunday

Churches were filled today for Palm Sunday.  Did you know that at times in the distant past when palm fronds were scarce that it was called "Branch Sunday"?  Today, hundreds of millions of palm fronds are harvested every year for US church ceremonies. 
The number is so large that major newspapers have picked up [...]

Man pulls palm tree down onto his pick up truck

Enough said:

 
Aie.  So much for that bakkie.  This one is from South Africa.
If this were real, I can only imagine that SOMEBODY would want to know if he was all right.

The single palm tree of ‘South Pacific’ at Lincoln Center Theater

There is something completely weird and poetic about the idea that a single palm tree is all that is needed to convey a place in the Lincoln Center Theater production of "South Pacific" as seen in this photo of the palm by Sara Krulwich (New York Times):

The Times writes: "Stagehands load in the lone palm [...]

Are Havaianas flip flops on their way up?

In my rage against sports Crocs in August of last year, I predicted that Havaianas Zori-style sandals would likely to become the summer footwear of choice this year.  The company is certainly slowly pushing their way into the market.  This ad is from the March 2008 issue of Complex:

They’ve got the palm trees, flowers, [...]

New genus for the Madagascar palm tree that flowers itself to death

Do you remember that new palm tree species from Madagascar?  It’s the one that essentially flowers itself until it dies.  Well, it’s apparently so different from any other palm species, that they had to create a new genus classification to make room for it on the tree family tree.  More here with another picture and [...]

Turkey ~ the cold(ish) palm tree paradise

According to the Turkish Daily News on February 2, 2008, more and more developments in Turkey are incorporating palm trees that can withstand temperatures that drop to -18 degree Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit) into their landscapes.  The article says that the palms are a differentiating factor that help to sell real estate.  Soon we will [...]

Coconuts kill?

This T-shirt popped up this morning:

Duck!
The headine that linked to this was, of course, that "coconuts kill more Americans each year than terrorism."  We must stop the killing.
Of course, the Joel Best publishing through the University of California Press says that they don’t.  Or more precisely: "Do 150 people actually die in this way? It [...]

Ultimate palm tree ~ no bloom for 100 years and then POOF!

Some people on Madagascar realized recently that a large palm tree that grows to a height of 66 feet actually blooms every hundred years.  Even more dramatic is the humongous tree-like "bloom" that pops out of the top of the palm tree:

This one is so weird that it’s begging for some bad jokes to surface.
See [...]

Palm Tree Christmas Trees

Thank you to everyone who stands tall against buying lighted palm tree Christmas trees:

Although, many people might try to justify the purchase by saying, "But there’s so much more room for all the presents we buy every year."  Not that it matters this year, given the debt crisis.

keep looking »