SkyMall Monday: Hangin’ Around Henrietta

by Mike Barish on

We all get lonely sometimes. Maybe you’re an only child with no one to invite to your tea party. Perhaps you’re an elderly widow who’s no longer able to attend the bridge games that used to fill your days. Or you could just be a serial killer biding your time in your seemingly innocuous suburban home, waiting for just the right moment when you show the world that you’re worth everyone’s attention. Whatever the reason for your loneliness, your suffering is felt by everyone here at SkyMall Monday headquarters. Thankfully, your misery ends today. Open your windows, let some light and fresh air in and put on your best spring outfit, because you’re about to entertain a new friend. SkyMall heard your cries (and read your tear-stained diary) and found the perfect companion to make you feel special. Get ready to to welcome your new best friend because it’s time to meet Hangin’ Around Henrietta.Making new friends can be challenging. You have to let your guard down, open yourself up and listen to other people talk on and on about themselves. How tedious! With Hangin’ Around Henrietta, you can do all the talking. Henrietta won’t judge you, like the other children. And, since Henrietta isn’t technically a real child, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a middle-aged man admiring her through his bathroom window.

Think that hanging a fake child from a tree is creepy? Believe that fake children shouldn’t be displayed upside down? Well, while you see if any sexual predators live in your neighborhood, we’ll be reading the product description:

Any time is playtime as Henrietta celebrates summer days and simpler times from her lofty perch (easily secured to tree branch or ceiling with an authentic rope). The artist sets breezy fun in motion by casting her enchanting, nearly life-size sculpture in quality designer resin and hand-painting it, one piece at a time, complete with lacy pink socks and pigtails.

While your new friend may not be real, its comforting to know that the rope is authentic. When it comes to rope, accept no imitations.

Your lonely days are over thanks to Henrietta. She’s adorable, precocious and won’t fight back here to brighten your day. She’s the prefect friend for anyone (except for adult men, adult women, well-adjusted children, people whose neighbors can see into their yards and anyone who wants to keep themselves off or is already on a law enforcement watch list).

What are you waiting for? Hang that fake girl from your tree today!

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Thailand Part 8: Scooters & Coconuts

by Stephen Greenwood on

Gadling TV’s Travel Talk, episode 38 – Click above to watch video after the jump

In the first half of Travel Talk’s grand Thai expedition, we’ve tamed elephants, explored Bangkok’s temples, eaten scorpions, taken in a Muay Thai match, and witnessed a train running directly through a bustling market. Now, we’re taking you to explore a lesser known province of Thailand for a closer look at the culture and traditions of rural Thai life.

Situated near the border of Myanmar, Sangkhlaburi is a great destination for those looking for alternative to Chiang Mai or the beaches of Koh Samui. Ever since our Vespa adventure in Rome, we’ve been anxious to get back on the open road; so we rented scooters and explored the rest of Sangkhlaburi. We’ll take you to the longest wooden bridge in Thailand and show you what Thai life is like down on the farm.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.


Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Hosts: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews
Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews
Special thanks: Tourism Authority of Thailand, Trikaya Tours

Travel Talk took Thailand by storm on invitation from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. No editorial content was guaranteed and Aaron & Stephen were free to openly share all adventures that they embarked upon.

Photo of the day (12.23.10)

by Meg Nesterov on

Just one shopping day left until Christmas, maybe two if you want to push it. Even if you aren’t gift shopping, festive holiday decorations and frustrated holiday shoppers are everywhere. Flickr user jrodmanjr snapped this shot at San Francisco’s Union Square in the reflection of a tree ornament. It’s a beautiful composition and cleverly captures the festive street scene and shoppers (hopefully not seeing red).

Have any photos of other festive scenes to share? How about adding them to the Gadling group on Flickr? We might just choose one of your shots as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the Day (11.22.10)

by Mike Barish on

As you may or may not know, I write Gadling’s SkyMall Monday column. That leads me to seeing a lot of ridiculous SkyMall products. I also end up talking about SkyMall quite a bit, with people often suggesting products for me to review. One of the more frequently mentioned contraptions is the Forest Face. Personally, I was never that impressed by anyone shoving some some Mr. Potato Head features into a tree. I’d rather see a real tree with a real face.

Thankfully, now we have this photo by Flickr user fourfourmedia. I have no idea what’s going on here. I don’t care. That tree has a face. Enough said.

Have a picture of any other flora with faces? Or maybe just some great travel photos? Submit your images to Gadling’s Flickr group and we might use one for a future Photo of the Day.

Ghost Forest brings attention to rainforest threat

by Sean McLachlan on


A Ghost Forest is stalking Europe.

Giant trees from Ghana have appeared in Copenhagen, Trafalgar Square in London, and now Oxford. It’s called the Ghost Forest Art Project, and it’s an innovative way to bring the plight of the world’s rainforests to public attention.

Artist Angela Palmer wanted to share her concern with the public about tropical rainforests, which are disappearing fast. An area the size of a football pitch vanishes every four seconds, and most are never replaced. Not only does this reduce biodiversity and nature’s way of absorbing atmospheric carbon, but it leads to soil erosion and long-term economic problems. Since Europe is a major consumer of rainforest wood, and there are no rainforests in Europe, Palmer decided to bring the rainforest to Europe.

She hauled a collection of stumps from the commercially logged Suhuma forest in western Ghana all the way to Europe. Ghana lost 90 percent of its forest due to overlogging before the government got serious about conservation. Now the remaining forest is being logged in a sustainable manner under strict supervision. The stumps mostly fell due to storms, but three were actually logged. To offset the carbon footprint of shipping these behemoths hundreds of miles, Palmer contributed to a project that distributes efficient stoves to Ghanaian villages. These stoves use less wood than traditional stoves and reduce the need for cutting.

First stop was Copenhagen, just in time for last year’s UN Climate Change conference. This was followed by a visit to Trafalgar Square before the trees were installed in front of Oxford University’s famous Museum of Natural History. A fitting display for 2010, which is the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity. Next year will be the Year of Forests.

I’ve seen this exhibit in person and I have to say the stumps are truly awe inspiring. Their sheer size, and the realization that they were once alive, made me think about our place in this world. My four-year-old was impressed too, and I hope that some of these giant trees will still be standing when he’s my age.


Image Courtesy Ghost Forest.

%Gallery-97338%