Top Banana

The Top Banana team are always keen to pass on good news when a brand or manufacturer goes the extra mile to give something back. In May we reported the plans for celebrating 60 years of Land Rover which began with Land Rover World Festival at Eastnor Castle in June - now we are delighted to report the charitable donation of 60 Defenders to the British Red Cross - one for each year of the anniversary.

It was disappointing to see this gesture was overlooked by marketing agencies who instead considered using Posh Totty Zara Phillips and a hay fever afflicted horse to create what they hoped would be a viral video to promote the British Olympic Eventing team at the same time as raising brand awareness for Land Rover

Zara is no stranger to online video promotion - see Youtube Zara Phillips Equestrian Princess which attracts hundreds of views and many complimentary comments - 199 at 15 July 2008.

The reception to this “viral video” is one of dismay - tagged “amateur” “snobbish” “disgraceful” it seems to be gaining notoriety for the wrong reasons.

However as any good marketeing BS’tter will gleefully claim - ALL publicity is good publicity.

Zara has featured in commercials before - astride a Freelander and the face of Rolex watches.

At the begining of the year TB was compelled to do a spot of vanity searching for [top banana] to see how well thought of the site was a year after its creation.

The disappointment of not appearing in the top results was quickly lifted by the discovery of many other worthy contenders - who for example would have thought that a serious UK Job Site would market itself as All the Top Bananas - the UK’s most helpful job site.

Now Top Banana is becoming more and more used as an exclamation of greatness but I would have thought that the phrase Big Cheese would be appropriate for a high flying executive recruitment agency however the search results failed to deliver anything associated with careers, jobs or recruitment.

Full marks to the local authority web site for Caerphilly - commanding a number two (snigger) spot for its Big Cheese Festival.

Finally a mention for this blog - Calm Banana - great name - a lovely clean site found when searching for french music.

A little deeper is a page of one liners the best of the bunch (ha) being my favourite “I’m only smiling because I don’t know what’s going on” - top banana!

Top Banana reader JJ from Hints and Things commented on this sleep post passed on this little gem she discovered whilst researching her feature about BEDDING and looking for information about those who can’t put a duvet on. Its a short video that demonstrates “how to put on a duvet cover quickly” and makes the chore of changing bedding seem simple - easy and fun. On her site we found a terrific guide to looking after bedding and information about choosing so called luxury bedding and even a flippant reference to the hilarious “Naked Body Duvet Covers” that every new couple uses once before each notices the other taking a little too much interest in the printed design

The more sophisticated home maker would of course look for high quality luxury bedding - even shunning common printed duvet and quilt covers instead searching for upmarket classy quilted bedspreads to add style to the interior design of the bedroom.

However we at top banana aren’t too proud to feature our favorites. First up are the amazing bedding designs from Funny Ideas

And how could we omit the enterprising folk over at Futon Campus who offer this banana bed:

Sleep well Banana fans….

Ha Ha Haaaaa - I like to count!

With full respect to Richard Whitely - who opened Channel 4 in 1980 with its first programme, Countdown.

Often you’ll come across “Count Down Clocks” which tick away and display days, hours, minutes and seconds until a specific event. Usually these countdown clocks are an integrated part of fund raising or event awareness as seen on National No Smoking Day where the Marketeers expect visitors to return again and again to see just how long they have to wait until the great day.

Top banana thought an interesting twist would be for sites to prominently display how long overdue and event was. The completion of Wembley Stadium ran way over time and budget and as such would have been ideal high profile Count Up Clock opportunity.

Even individuals with a gripe can utilise a count-up clock to emphasise their dismay. Take a. It was with a wry smile TB noticed that an employee of a large digital media agency who has been waiting for a personal development review that is planned to be a regular six monthly event falling in October and April each year posted a count up clock onto the companies web blog to highlight the time elapsed.

<script language="JavaScript">
TargetDate = "12/31/2020 5:00 AM";
BackColor = "palegreen";
ForeColor = "navy";
CountActive = true;
CountStepper = -1;
LeadingZero = true;
DisplayFormat = "%%D%% Days, %%H%% Hours, %%M%% Minutes, %%S%% Seconds.";
FinishMessage = "It is finally here!";
</script>
<script language="JavaScript" src="http://scripts.hashemian.com/js/countdown.js">
</script>

However wordpress hosted sites can’t display the result of the script - Bah - so see the original source of the countdown code

A weekly chore for this site and many like it is to sort through the copious comments in the hope of finding genuine engaging comments that relate to the article they are written on. Amongst the jolly comment spam that descended upon Top banana this week was a half decent attempt from an overseas business that wanted to let me know how they found my post looking for curtains and window blinds but didn’t think it too relevant. the trackback - if thats what you call spurious linking was to a business that promoted banana fibre window blinds

But thats not all - check the Alibaba page for the India rope outsourcer and a whole Cornucopia of similar products available not just his deep linked banana general window blinds but a full range of home interior accessories including blinds, bags, rugs and mats all crafted from banana fibres. The banana fibres are hand woven into versatile fabrics for curtains and blinds but left as dried raw fibres for weaving into sturdy bags and hard wearing rugs.

The window blinds that are able to use the banana material are mainly roller blinds but there should be no reason that the same material cannot be used to create longer elegant vertical blinds.

For those disappointed not to see a selection of banana style venetian blinds we’re pleased to report that this range will be available soon - it is reported that mature banana trees that are no longer productive can be ecologically felled, replacements planted and the harden trucks sliced to craft ultra contemporary wooden blinds- super style without the eco guilt.

A little off topic but whilst researching for this post a snippet on Wikipedia Freelander page legend has it that early adverts for land rovers cite vehicles driven thousands of miles on banana oil

Missed out on tickets for Glastonbury? Still hope to get mudded up in the English countryside?

If you are searching for an action packed weekend in the heart of rural England’s most beautiful countryside this unique event should be right up your street or down your lane more likely.

Land Rover World Magazine is proud to be holding the annual Land Rover World event in the splendid grounds of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire - the home of apples and mistletoe.

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Land Rover the event promises to be the ultimate summer off road motoring event of the year. Let the team of experts show you how it should be done - choose from the selection of land rovers available -

• Defender
• Freelander
• Discovery
• Range Rover

Amazing vehicles all waiting to get their wheels dirty. Don’t forget Eastnor Castle with its extensive grounds has some of the greatest off road routes to be found in the UK and is the home of these amazing all terrain vehicles supported by Land Rover owners.

The Land Rover World Show happens on 7th and 8th June 2008. Go join the celebrations - sixty years of Land Rover at its ancestral home, Eastnor Castle in deepest Herefordshire.

visit the AA

With an ever watchful eye on improving health top banana was interested to read on “Your Blood Pressure” blog the results of a small study which suggests those who regularly get less than 6 hours sleep are more likely to become affected by high blood pressure. The post sleep and blood pressure offers various tips to aid better sleep, thus reducing the risk of developing hypertensive symptoms indeed helping to lower blood pressure.

In summer I was pleased to share my home furnishing find of stylish bedding and duvet covers and I am delighted to learn that the following tips were recommended to ensure a decent nights sleep:-

• Sleep with the windows open but exclude light with well fitted curtains and blinds
• If able spend more on the best quality bedding you can afford - it makes you feel pampered and also regulates the bed’s temperature during sleep
• Consider using several duvet covers to find ones that help you feel most restful at different times of the year - seasonal sleep disorder is not uncommon
• Your bedroom should be for sleep only. Avoid turning it into an entertainment centre with televisions, computers and stereos BBC sleep tip
• Some people find that lavender oil, valerian or other herbs help them to sleep and prevent snoring.