Umbrellas and the Fab Four

This image was posted on a weather blog with the caption that "The Liverpool lads knew a thing or two about rain…" and linking to a You Tube video that was part of a '60s promotional video for The Beatles, with nary an umbrella in sight. So, of course, the question becomes what else can you do linking the Fab Four with umbrellas. Well, here is a start--Ringo holding an umbrella while the rest sing "Help!"

Does This Umbrella Look Like a Rifle? Closed Mall for 45 Minutes!

The fear of public shootings rose another notch as the Mall of Bluffs in Council Bluffs, Iowa closed for about 45 minutes after someone reported seeing a man with a gun. However, all was safe as authorities found their man - and his umbrella.

Of course, as readers of the Brolly Blog know, umbrellas have been used for bank robberies so maybe we should be cautious. However, there are a lot of umbrellas out there to watch out for!

If the best defense is a good offense, look to those who are carrying their Gentleman Umbrella Sword.

Matthew Swinton's Sprout Umbrella

CNETjust brought this to my attention, but it is apparently at least a couple years old. As designed by Matthew Swinton, this "brolly concept may just grow on you, literally." According to Yanko Design:

The canopy and all the hardware is enclosed in the handle. A knob on its face turns to unlock the inner mechanism. The knob slides down the umbrella, forcing the canopy arms out through the top of the shaft. The flexible plastic arms are bent as the exit the handle, pulling the canopy with it. When fully open, the knob is turned back to lock the umbrella open.

Alas, no evidence that this sprout has sprung, so don't look for this in your neighborhood brolly store.

Rainfall and Umbrella Sales: More May Mean Less

According to an article in The Globe and Mail, it is raining more in Vancouver than it used to. However, while you would think this would be great for umbrellas, it turns out that it is not the "right" kind of rain! It is raining harder, but not as frequently.

Corry Flader, one of the family owners of The Umbrella Shop, Canada's last remaining umbrella- manufacturing business, says the fact that it rains less frequently, but harder, is not good for business. "My sales have been hurt dramatically because now it rains in buckets."

Ms. Flader mourns the weeks of steady daytime drizzles that used to send her sales soaring. (Her consolation is that her sales are still going up, as people have veered away from cheap, flimsy umbrellas and toward more durable ones, as they weigh their purchases more carefully in a tough economy.)