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ODE TO A HAGGIS (Lewis)

As its Burns night I thought I would try and find a Burns Night themed link. For anyone who has attended a burns night supper and has witnessed the addressing of the Haggis, have you ever sat there and wondered what exactly is being said. Well this video, albeit rather bad quality, shows a man addressing a Haggis and underneath there are subtitles explaining what exactly he is saying. I have to admit I still struggle with many Scots words so this was useful.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kzYaIphbzU 

VENDING MACHINE MADNESS (Gaynor)

Vending machines are always in handy places- shops, schools, gyms you name it. I am partial to a can of coke or a packet of crisps on the move but who knew there is so much more to vending machines than a snack or two. This list of weird and wonderful things you can get at vending machines is hilarious. If you need socks with funny sayings, fresh flowers, pet beetles or simply a neck tie then be sure to visit these vending machines. http://www.buzzfeed.com/hgrant/bizarre-things-you-can-buy-from-a-vending-machines

LEAVE THE TRICKS TO THE MAGICIANS KIDS (Aimee)

Kids love the magic of mystery but when they discover they can do it themselves havoc normally ensues! Check out the attempts of these two budding magicians who try and pull off a table cloth stunt! The Youtube clip has already become a massive hit with 1.3 million views! Apparently there are plenty rumours going round claiming the video to be a fake and I’ll say that if it is-well played. See what you think for yourselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhre0_9oRt4&feature=player_embedded

A BEAR’S EYE VIEW (Victoria)

An innovative new project is allowing animal lovers to see life through the eyes of a brown bear. Biologists at Alaska Fish and Game department came up with the method to monitor the creatures’ habits and evaluate the population. They put a collar containing a camera and a GPS device on four brown bears recording a 20-second clip, every 15 minutes for a month.  The wildlife experts attached the cameras in May last year to the grizzly bears – a lone sow, two sows with one cub each, and a ten-year-old male called Boar – in the Copper River Basin of south-central Alaska. There are currently eight clips available to view on the website ranging from some real awwww moments such as a bear playing with her cub to some arghhhhh moments like the bear eating another bear!

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=brownbear.video

TWO GREEN BOTTLES THAT WOULD REALLY CHANGE IT ALL (Scott)

According to this report, bitter rivals and  soft drinks giants Coke and Pepsi are locked in a new battle – to come up with the ultimate eco bottle for their products. The race is on to create plastic bottles made entirely from plant based ingredients (most plastics are produced from oil), which will be less environmentally harmful to produce and presumably more biodegradable.

I wonder just how hard can it be, since Edinburgh company Vegware is already making impressive leaps with this kind of challenge.

What most springs to mind though is the famous quote from  the late Steve Jobs when he lured Pepsi boss John Sculley to move to the other side of the US and join Apple, with the line: ” Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” Here’s hoping the sugar water giants are genuinely intent on changing the world for the better.                                            http://sustainabilitypr.net.au/2011/12/coke-v-pepsi-the-race-for-the-100-eco-friendly-bottle/