K.A.C. 2019 - T - 4 ...

     What's the best Christmas present for a little boy or girl? One of these fine Philco products? Perhaps a radio or phonograph console? Well, here's a hint: there's one in the ad to your left. Give up? No, it's none of those ... it's a dog! Specifically, a puppy - which leads us to today's entry in our Christmas For Your ears stories.

     Back to SUSPENSE we go, and this story illustrates why this show was so popular. There are so many different types of suspense, including what to do about something as small as a  Very Special Dog. 

     The story was aired on December 22nd, 1957, and was well received at the time, as people were still talking about the tragic fate of Laika. For those of you not familiar with her place in history, Wikipedia relates it below:

"Laika (Russian: Лайка; c. 1954 – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who became one of the first animals in space, and the first animal to orbit the Earth. Laika, a stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, was selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into outer space on 3 November 1957.
Little was known about the impact of spaceflight on living creatures at the time of Laika's mission, and the technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, so Laika's survival was never expected. Some scientists believed humans would be unable to survive the launch or the conditions of outer space, so engineers viewed flights by animals as a necessary precursor to human missions. The experiment aimed to prove that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure a micro-g environment, paving the way for human spaceflight and providing scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments.
Laika died within hours from overheating, possibly caused by a failure of the central R-7 sustainer to separate from the payload. The true cause and time of her death were not made public until 2002; instead, it was widely reported that she died when her oxygen ran out on day six or, as the Soviet government initially claimed, she was euthanised prior to oxygen depletion.
On 11 April 2008, Russian officials unveiled a monument to Laika. A small monument in her honour was built near the military research facility in Moscow that prepared Laika's flight to space. It portrayed a dog standing on top of a rocket. She also appears on the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow."

     Fast forward to Christmas time and this episode, where a little girl and a little space dog meet ... and what happens when she tries to keep her 'Christmas present' will keep you in, yes, you guessed, it - SUSPENSE!

     https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Suspense_Singles/Suspense_571222_730_Dog_Star_-128-44-_23635_24m59s_AFRS.mp3 

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      Well, well, well ... would you just LOOK what the cat dragged in this year? Looks like Mr. K finally met his match! Our entire entry today looks like it's going to the dogs (and cats) - don't believe me? Take a gander at our link below featuring a TON of our canine and feline friends who are D O N E with this whole Christmas thing and want these holidays OVER already! Shaming them does no good - there's not a remorseful face in the lot. Just look at these miscreants - I'm sure you know some of their brothers and sisters:

     https://cheezburger.com/7288069/19-dogs-and-cats-who-have-shamelessly-ruined-christmas

    Speaking of shameless animals (and viral marketing, depending how cynical you are), behold the  can of Sycamore Christmas Cookie Winter Ale below. Looks refreshing, right? Just the thing for the holidays. Now look closer at the can (click on the photo for a better look). Guess who landed themselves a nice big, fat holiday bonus of a Big Fine? Turns out you can't sell cans of reindeer 'making little Rudolphs' on the label, after all - who knew? Read the whole sordid tale here:



  


      https://geekologie.com/2019/12/brewery-gets-fined-after-featuring-reind.php

       
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      Hmmmm ... reindeer and beer, reindeer and beer. Where have I seen that combination just recently? Oh, I know! We'll finish off our animal-centric day with this brand new inspirational tale that just may make YOU get back to the gym and/or your exercise routine in the New Year - enjoy the soon-to-be-famous comeback tale of the 'most famous reindeer of all' - RED!

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kf2ozcdk3o&feature=emb_title 

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      Three to go!