Posted on 03/14/2003 6:36:21 PM PST by GeneD
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) -- Procter & Gamble Co. agreed to air a disclaimer in a Metamucil commercial featuring Old Faithful to mollify the National Park Service.
Created last year, the commercial features a Yellowstone National Park ranger pouring a glass of Metamucil into the geyser to help it stay regular.
The commercial sparked criticism from the Park Service, which said the park's geothermal features can be damaged by dumping things into them, and venturing near geysers and hot springs can be dangerous.
Although Procter & Gamble said most TV viewers would realize the commercial was a joke, it agreed to resolve the dispute by adding a disclaimer.
The text, which will read "Dramatization -- Please Obey Park Service Rules," was scheduled to begin airing Wednesday.
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On the Net:
Yellowstone: http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm
Metamucil: http://www.metamucil.com/index.shtml
Well, there go my vacation plans.
"No bears were harmed in the making of this animated entertainment. Real bears do not wear stupid, Ed Norton-looking hats and ties, nor do they talk. As a matter of fact, some are big enough to eat you. And yes, they DO poop in the woods."
When I went backpacking in Yellowstone, a ranger told me about what some of the morons would do to get a photo op with the wildlife, like smear jam on a child's face, so they could photograph a bear licking it off. Given their experience with the stupid among us, I can understand their cynicism...
While you were at work, making a living and they were in front of the TV having reality redefined for them.
MORNING GLORY POOL
Temperature 171.6°F Dimensions 23x26.6 feet. Depth 23 feet. A deep, funnel-shaped pool with a dark blue center. The resemblance to the corolla and color of a morning glory is responsible for its name in the early 1880s. It has been a popular thermal feature and a symbol of Yellowstone. The early stagecoach and automobile road came within a few feet of this pool until 1971 when the road was rerouted. Early visitors carelessly removed the delicate scalloped border and dumped debris into the pool. In 1950 the water level was lowered by siphoning which induced the pool to erupt. Socks, bath towels, 76 handkerchiefs, $86.27 in pennies, $8.10 in other coins came up; in all, 112 different objects were removed from Morning Glory. The debris had reduced the flow of water and contributed to the decline in temperature, causing bacteria to grow in the cooler yellow and orange edges of the pool.
BLUE STAR SPRING
Temperature 192°F Dimensions 9x10 feet. Depth 6 feet. It received its name from the star-like sinter formation around the edge of the pool. Extensive ledges have formed three to four feet over the crater, creating an illusion of a small spring. The ornate scalloped border of the ledge also extends along the overflow channel. This spring has had a history of vandalism. In 1946 during cleaning, a pile of debris three feet in height by six feet in width was collected. A bison calf fell into the pool in the mid 1980s and the bones can still be seen on the bottom. No known subterranean connection exists with other thermal features. The spring discharges approximately four gallons per minute.
CHINAMAN SPRING
Temperature 200° Dimensions 28x34 inches. Depth 12.5 feet. A small spring located along the Firehole River. Chinaman has erupted 20-30 feet high, but all known eruptions were man-induced. The first incident of a known eruption occurred in the 1880s when a Chinese laundryman pitched his tent over the spring and used the hot water as a clothes boiler. The clothes were suspended in the boiling water by a wicker basket. When laundry soap was added the spring erupted for the first time and a column of water ejected the laundry and collapsed the tent.
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