To ring in the new year, Taco Bell is unleashing Doritos Locos Tacos upon us for free (as if that makes it better) starting today. For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a Locos Taco yet, for all the heartburn mine.
Classic car collectors might want to give Arthur Lampitt a call: The 75-year-old from Illinois just had the turn signal lever from a 1963 Thunderbird removed from his arm.
1963 Thunderbird turn signal was embedded in the arm of Arthur Lampitt 75 yrs old for 51 years http://t.co/2gUtzcdh11 pic.twitter.com/YTr2RpEZCS
— Georgi (@Georgi29) January 2, 2015
In 1963, Lampitt survived a head-on collision with a semi-truck, which resulted in a broken hip and ribs and several cuts, the Los Angeles Times reports. About 15 years ago, his arm kept setting off a metal detector in a courthouse...
Don't be distracted by your own frozen hands: in spite of this recent and sudden chill, 2014 was HOT. In fact, it was California's warmest year in 120 years, says KPCC, and though that's only counting the first 11 months of the year (December's data isn't out yet), experts say that this month would have to be "the coldest on record and by quite a large margin" to pull the state out of record-making territory. December's been warmer than usual, so that's probably not going to happen, but it has been cold enough to break a 375-day streak of temperatures above 60 degrees, according to a public information statement on Weather Underground.
Yesterday, Downtown dropped to a chilly 56 degrees, breaking a warm period that's lasted more than a year. It's the second-longest super-60 stretch in Downtown's history; from late February 1993 to November 1994, the 'hood stayed above 60 for 629 days.
Meanwhile, 2014 was only California's twenty-third driest year on record, based on data for January through November, so even though we had a bevy of shocking visuals documenting the state drying up before our eyes, it could have been worse. (Yay?) Here in LA, we've been getting some nice, long showers; when the numbers are tallied, we're still only at about normal rainfall levels.
"How to get rid of acne." "Are zombies real?" "How to craft." "What is Tinder?" This is just a sampling of some of the weird and wonderful stuff people in America Googled this year.
In October, ZooBorns introduced you to ‘Chloe’, the orphaned Wombat joey, at the Taronga Zoo. Chloe’s mother was struck by a car, and Taronga keeper, Evelyn Watson, became surrogate mom to the six-month-old joey. Evelyn carried Chloe everywhere, in a makeshift pouch, stopping work for feeding every few hours.
Photo Credits: Paul Fahy/Taronga Zoo
Chloe is, now, nine-months-old and out of the pouch. She has become Keeper Evelyn’s loyal companion and assistant during her morning rounds at the zoo.
The morning walks are part of the joey’s continuing development, as she prepares to take her next big step towards returning to the wild.
“It’s a natural behavior and something Chloe would be doing with her real mother if she’d survived. Wombats stay with their mothers for up to two years, walking by their side until they’re old enough to fend for themselves,” said Evelyn.
Now strong enough to walk and explore on her own, Chloe has begun learning the natural Wombat behaviors she’ll need to survive in the wild. Keepers have built the joey a special home in an off-exhibit area to encourage her to dig burrows and forage for her own food.
“She’s really learning how to be a Wombat. Her paws are already toughening up and she’s quite happy digging about on her own,” said Evelyn.
When ready, Chloe will be transferred to a Wombat ‘halfway house’, where she’ll learn how to care for herself, before being released back into the wild.
Pantone and Brightkey partnered up to bring you some colorful keyboards to your Apple iPhone and iPad. Brightkey already makes keyboards for Apple devices running iOS 8 and this new venture merges Pantone’s color expertise with handheld technology. First out of the gate are colors from the PANTONE Fashion Color Report for Fall 2014 and future releases will be launched seasonally with color trends decided by Pantone.
The new keyboards work the same as the standard keyboard you already use on your Apple devices, with autocorrect and predictive text, while also adding a few new features, like user configurable Quick-fire messages and custom themes. The new themes and colors are available as in-app purchases, including the Pantone Color of the Year for 2015: Marsala.
Someone built a magical winter wonderland for hedgehogs and it’s glorious!
Too. Cute. Heart. Bursting. Watch these little hedgehogs get whisked around their very own village on a model train! It’s like The Polar Express but with hedgehogs! So many cute hedgehogs in Santa hats.
Some may like it hot, but not Australia’s Fruit Bats. A spring heat wave with temperatures over 100 degrees F has killed many adult Fruit Bats, leaving their babies orphaned and in need of care. That’s why the Australian Bat Clinic and Wildlife Trauma Center has been inundated with rescued baby Bats in recent months.
Photo Credit: Adam Cox Entire colonies of Gray-headed Flying Foxes and Black Flying Foxes have been wiped out due to the extremely high temperatures. Often, when the mothers die, their babies are still attached to their teats. Without immediate rescue, these babies will face the same fate as their mothers.
When the baby Bats enter rehabilitation, rescuers’ first jobs are to help the babies feel secure and to feed them. The rubber nipples tucked into the babies’ mouths help them feel as if they are still attached to their mothers’ teats. When the babies are wrapped in tiny blankets (causing the babies to resemble little Bat burritos), they feel safe in their temporary home. A little affection from the rescuers helps too.
After a few months, rescuers will release the baby Bats back into the wild.
Flying Foxes are Bats that feed primarily on fruit, pollen, and nectar. The world's 60 species of Flying Foxes are found in tropical regions. Unlike insect-eating bats, which are usually smaller in size, Flying Foxes do not use echolocation to find food. Instead, they have well-developed senses of smell and eyesight. Many species of Flying Fox are threatened with extinction due to illegal hunting and persecution.
Minimalist Christmases just got even more minimalist(y). London-based designer Emilie Voirin recently successfully funded the Minimal Nativity Set, a modern, handcrafted version of the Nativity scene.
Made out of beechwood or brass, the contemporary nativity scene consists of minimal pieces that have lost their features and colors for a streamlined appearance. The popular scene is now only recognized by the names inscribed onto the pieces.
The set is for everyone to interpret individually. Its minimalist take on the traditional biblical scene can lead to conversation about the accuracy of its representation.
“Each culture appropriates the features of the figures and I find the variations quite fascinating. This version is somewhat a compromise.”
The Kickstarter is also helping to fund a life-size installation to be exhibited at Southwark Cathedral in London.
Every once in a while, we send writer/comedian Megan Koester to do something awful, like spend the night in a $12-an-hour hotel or, as in today's installment, hang out at The Grove for the entire day on the Saturday before Christmas. Somehow she survived and tells the tale here.
[Photos by Megan Koester]
Saturday, December 20, 10:30 am: I have never taken an Uber before, as I have heard only negative things about the company and it's employees. That being said, my personal safety is worth less than the "free UberBLACK ride to The Grove, up to $150" promotion that is currently taking place. After a near-tear-inducing 30 minutes spent trying to use the app, my driver Hakob is en route. He texts me, "hi Megan can you send your adres?uber." I have already entered my address into the application. My alleged eight-minute wait becomes 10 minutes, then 12, then 15. I watch him overshoot my place on the map and directionlessly shuffle around the neighborhood like a mouse in a maze. What is this, Hakob's first rodeo?
He finally arrives, looking dazed, at 10:45. "Sorry," he explains, "I came all the way from Hollywood." I live in East Hollywood. The scent of cologne in Hakob's blacked-out Chevy Suburban is far too pungent for this hour of the morning; it begins to make my head hurt. According to The Grove's website, if I want a free ride back all I have to do is make a purchase of $450 or more. I will be Lyfting home.
11 am: Hakob drops me off with an emotionless, robotic "Have a nice day" as a pained young man in a concierge outfit opens the rear door of the Suburban and releases me into my home for the next 12 hours. Within two minutes, I've already boarded the trolley—you better believe I took one of the highly coveted top seats. "It's beautiful!" a woman exclaims about nothing in particular as she takes artless photos of said nothing with her cell phone.
An inane song about having a "Candy Cane Christmas" plays overhead as the conductor informs us that the trolley gives The Grove's guests a "nostalgic" experience reminiscent of Los Angeles's former streetcars. He then tells us we'll be making a midway stop at the Cheesecake Factory. The nostalgia is palpable. People ooh and aah as he points out the sites—the second largest tree in Los Angeles is here! Look, to our left! There's the new Diane Von Furstenberg store! Multiple riders photograph it.
11:15 am: The trolley ride is over. I am already intolerably bored.
11:20 am: I joylessly watch the fountain's "festive musical salute to the holiday season." When it ends, my fellow mall-goers applaud at the water, thanking it for its service.
11:30 am: A big announcement comes over the loud speakers—The Top Hats, The Grove's own proprietary "high energy dance troupe," will be performing a "magical musical extravaganza" on the trolley in five minutes! My prayer candle worked!
11:40 am: Where the fuck are the Top Hats? Time is money here—as I have no intention to shop, I desperately need entertainment. "Look," a guy says to his wife, gesticulating toward the fountain. "Water." A Christmas song performed by accused rapist CeeLo plays in sync with the fountain's endless, undulating flow.
11:45 am: Still no Top Hats. This is unacceptable. I lustfully stare at the bar above Nordstrom. Is 11:45 am an acceptable time to start drinking? It is Saturday, after all.
12:00 pm: I'm so bored, I actually start shopping. I come perilously close to purchasing a $25 bikini at Topshop because, in my altered state, I have convinced myself it's a "good deal." Good lord, Koester, keep it together! I think. You've only been here an hour and you've already lost your goddamned mind.
12:15 pm: In the plush, spacious restroom next to the concierge stand, I use The Grove's free WiFi to watch a live feed of The Grove's fountain, which I'm convinced exists solely to cheekily ask the question, "What drought?" An outrageously loud cover of "Let it Snow" plays amidst the screams of an infant getting its diaper changed. It is impossible to concentrate on anything but its screams, the music, and the diaper's rancid smell. The infant's name is Skylar.
1 pm: I take a brief sojourn to the Farmer's Market, where I stumble upon a horrifyingly festive site—elderly people singing and dancing to Christmas songs that have been "hula-fied." "Santa couldn't make it," the ukulele player tells the audience, "but here's his wife: Mrs. Claus." A white woman in a Santa hat slowly, awkwardly begins to shimmy to the unsteady melody of the ukulele player and drummer.
1:15 pm: GROVE PRO TIP: Don't want to wait over one American hour to be seated at the Cheesecake Factory? Skip the endless line, which is spilling out the door, and belly up to the bar! I order two small plates (one of fried cheese, another of warm asparagus salad) and a SkinnyLicious® Long Island Iced Tea. My friend Sam, who is lunching with me, mentions she has a Klout perk coupon for acai-infused alcohol. My face contorts in glee as I realize I also have one—and it's in my wallet. "Just get a cup from Coffee Bean and pour some in it," she tells me. "No one will know."
There is a Whole Foods across the street that'll take the coupon, and the idea of maintaining sobriety for the next 10 hours seems impossible. I can't get loaded at Cheesecake Factory, though—the Long Island, I was horrified to discover after it had already been served to me, cost $10.50. Which brings up an important question: Can I leave the confines of The Grove to purchase hooch to smuggle back in?
As I ponder this, a woman who looks like a Real Housewife of Insert Location Here approaches us and slurs, "I'm sorry, can I ask you a question?" Her well-manicured hand points at Sam's tater tots; she asks, "What. Are. THOSE?!?" "They're the stuffed potato bites," Sam answers. "Are they … amazing?!?" the housewife asks. "Yes," Sam solemnly replies.
2:15 pm: One hour and $25 later, I find myself slightly faded from the Long Island Iced Tea, wondering what's next. As Sam takes her leave, I watch an oblivious man almost behead the daughter he's carrying on his shoulders. An Ugg-booted preteen sits on the curb, silently sobbing. Near her, a jazz quintet in Santa hats plays to sparse applause.
2:45 pm: I check out the parking garage's digital sign, which informs me how many available spaces exist on each level. It is riddled with ones and zeros. I return to the bathroom; a woman is re-wrapping her wounded leg on the overstuffed couch. The bathroom, while well maintained, nevertheless smells strongly of female genitalia.
"I'm gonna get drunk and go to the American Girl store," I declare to no one in particular.
3:45 pm: In my ceaseless wandering, I pass an ad for the Top Hats. They apparently perform at 6:45 and 7:45 pm every evening, not 11:30 am like the earlier announcement promised. I am upset that I have been deceived, but grateful to have something to look forward to. The mall is reaching critical mass; it has become impossible to walk without getting run into by a rogue child actively being ignored by its indifferent parents. "Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!" a young girl screams while frantically tugging at the hem of her mother's Boho dress. Her mother steadfastly refuses to hang up the phone or acknowledge the child's presence.
4:00 pm: I smoke my hourly cigarette with the Topshop employees on the outskirts of the mall; before me, a book published by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, entitled "Beyond Birth and Death," lies on the sidewalk.
An irate man in sweatpants yells at his son, "Let's go. I'm NOT shopping. I know what I want." He storms away in a huff, leaving the child behind in an ever-increasing fray. I find the source of the Krishna literature, a young man holding court with a group of wide-eyed dreamers. "So ... are these free?" a coed asks, investigating a book. "Yes! We're just asking for a donation," he replies. She hands the book back to him.
4:15 pm:The Grove's Rules of Conduct are posted on the wall that flanks my smoking spot; as abject boredom has forced me to smoke more than I usually do, I have committed most of the rules to memory. They are, in my assessment, being broken left and right. Non-service animals in sweaters surround me at every turn, most too large to comply with the "must carry dogs" rule. I quickly discover that there is a finite number of times one can see a dog wearing a festive sweater before one stops feeling anything, up to and including judgment for said dog's owner.
4:20 pm: The number and variation of covers of "Baby It's Cold Outside" I have heard cannot be quantified. My favorite, I decide, is the one by She & Him; I enjoy it because Zooey Deschanel is the one who takes on the song's predatory male role. In related news, I have lost my mind.
4:30 pm: I watch an enormous dog take a shit on the sidewalk outside Tommy Bahama, much to the horror of its owners. I realize the futility of even to try writing anything as funny as this visual.
My friend Dave meets me outside Tommy Bahama; as neither of us has ever had the privilege to enter one, we decide to check it out. I spritz myself with the brand's signature fragrance; I immediately regret doing so. It is pungent, and not in a pleasant way. Buzz waning, I finally cave into temptation and hit up the bar above Nordie's. Dave's drink is an inconsumable layer of vodka poured over a shot of lemon juice; mine has a needless red wine topper. Both cost $13.
5:30 pm: It's an unacceptable time to eat, which means it's time for my dinner reservation at the American Girl café. I smoke a cigarette outside, reeking of Tommy Bahama perfume, and try not to look like a sex predator as I wait for my dining companion.
A sign above the escalator in the store informs customers that, if they or their children are wearing Crocs, they should use the elevator. There are women here whose job it is to brush doll hair; I pity them endlessly. Heidi Klum and her daughter exit the dining room as my companion Veronica and I enter—I find her skin frustratingly luminescent.
We do not have our own dolls; as such, we must borrow loaners. Mine is African-American. Veronica's is, according to the excitable young woman who seats us, "a Latina!" Both have seen better days.
"I'm gonna eat the fuck out of those," Veronica says as a plate of piping hot, clearly canned, cinnamon rolls is placed on our table. We are surrounded by young girls, most of whom brought their own dolls, and their harried parents, who drink beers served in wine glasses. A miniature cup of tea is placed in front of Veronica's plastic Latina doll.
7 pm: After a wonderfully microwaved meal, we leave the American Girl store as artificial snow rains down on us. "Is it carcinogenic?" Veronica asks. "Probably," I reply.
7:30 pm: We are desperately in need of a drink, but there is—to our horror—no seating available in the Whisper Lounge. We instead go to Mixology 101, a bar owned by Planet Hollywood that has been featured on Extra. As an all-white band plays reggae in the corner, I peruse the drink menu; one concoction contains gin and whole milk. I am, while intrigued, too terrified to order it. My friend Allen meets us; he, like everyone else who has come to visit so far, asks if I've heard the news about the girlfriend-murdering cop killer in New York. It puts a bit of a damper on our otherwise festive surroundings.
8:45 pm: As I enjoy a post-Mixology-101 smoke outside of Dylan's Candy Bar, an elderly white woman shuffles by. "There's a lot of candy in there," she tells her companion. She is not lying.
9:15 pm: My visitors have both left; once again, I am alone. I take a wholly unfulfilling, Cheesecake Factory/American Girl café-induced trip to an unspeakably filthy Nordstrom restroom. Afterward, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror—I look tired, haggard, broken. And I haven't even bought anything.
9:30 pm: I walk by a rather large menorah. It's a nice gesture, given that The Grove is located in the Fairfax District, but the fact that it's situated next to the enormous fucking Christmas tree (the second largest in the state!) makes said gesture feel hollow.
10 pm: It is, apparently, happy couple hour. I walk through a sea of them, smiling into their iPhone screens while pecking each other on the cheek, on my way to go smoke for the millionth time. I have been at The Grove 11 hours; the end is nigh. For all of us. Uh oh, I'm drifting into existential territory. Why are we here? Did our merciful maker, the reason for the season, put us on Earth solely to consume? Will we be remembered when we die? Wait—STOP EVERYTHING. "All I Want for Christmas (Is You)" by Mariah Carey has started playing. I love this song! My angst is immediately averted. Rick Caruso, I think, you are one sick and brilliant fuck.
10:15 pm: I have found myself, once again, smoking in front of The Grove Code of Conduct. Did you know "engaging in any unlawful activity or behavior" is not permitted in the Grove? Or, for that matter, anywhere laws exist? Meanwhile, the cop car that has been illegally parked in a fire zone since I arrived sits, unmanned.
10:30 pm: There is still a comically large line to take pictures with Santa. Don't these brats have a bedtime? I ask myself. The state should remove them from their parents' custody.
10:45 pm: I order my last drink of the night, a dirty gin martini, at the La Piazza Ristorante outdoor bar. As I soak in a "breathtaking" view of the fountain, two shrill middle-aged women to my left animatedly talk about what a bitch someone named Linda is. "Happy holidays," the bartender tells them as he lays down their tab. "Merry Christmas," one of them replies, making deep, judgmental eye contact. "Merry. CHRISTMAS." —Megan Koester
· One Depressing Night at the $12-an-Hour Snooty Fox Motor Inn [Curbed LA]
Sony co-chair Amy Pascal wrote a lot of regrettable things in her leaked e-mail correspondences, so it's nice to read something we can agree with: she wants Idris Elba to be the next James Bond. The Daily Beast reports that in an e-mail to Elizabeth Cantillon, a former vice president for Columbia Pictures, which distributes the Bond films, Pascal simply typed, "Idris should be the next bond." Yes, please.
A baby Hoffmann’s Two-Toed Sloth made its public debut, recently, at the Topeka Zoo.
Photo Credits: Wrylie Guffey/Topeka Zoo
The sloth was born November 20th to mother, ‘Jackie’, and father, ‘Mocha’. Zoo staff had been closely monitoring Jackie’s pregnancy and had been tracking the growth of the baby via ultrasound. Their excellent zoo and veterinarian staff worked hard to train Jackie to allow them to do an ultrasound on a weekly basis. Gestation for sloths is about 11 ½ months. This is the thirteenth time for Jackie to give birth at the Topeka Zoo, but it is the first offspring for father, Mocha.
It will be a little bit longer before staff can determine the sex, but the baby and mother are doing well. They now make their home in the Zoo’s Rainforest exhibit. For now, the baby is content to snuggle deeply into the fur on mom’s chest, as she makes her way, slowly through the trees of the exhibit.
Hoffmann’s Two-Toed Sloths are native to Central and South America. They are largely nocturnal and arboreal animals, primarily found in rainforests and deciduous forests. They are classified as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. Their main threat in the wild is, believed to be, habitat destruction.
You can infer a lot when someone asks you to pass the hot sauce.
A study at the University of Grenoble in France found that men who liked spicier foods had higher testosterone levels than those who preferred milder foods. The study, published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, looked at 114 men ages 18 to 44.
The men were polled about their tastes and were then served mashed potatoes, with directions to add their desired level of hot sauce. The men who used more hot sauce tended to have higher testosterone levels. Higher testosterone levels are linked to social dominance and "daring behaviors...
Now that Sons of Anarchy is over, there's a hole in my Tuesday evening schedule, there's no more SAMCRO and most importantly, no more copious shots of Jax Teller's bare butt in action. REAL TEARS. In memorial, here is a collection of all of Jax's butt, played by Charlie Hunnam's actual butt, in various emotional moments. I assure you, it's a tour de force.
In this inaugural episode of The Blaze! podcast, Lizzie and Kat delve in to the iconic show’s supersized pilot episode, lamenting the lack of Luke Perry as Dylan, learning about the sociopolitcal landscape of 1990, and discussing just how much they love this teen soap from 24 years ago.
Taliban militants killed 126 schoolchildren at a military-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan, authorities announced Tuesday. Malala Yousafzai, who was herself shot by the Taliban while on a school bus, has condemned the attacks, calling them a "senseless and cold-blooded act of terror."
Here's the 17-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner's statement about the attacks:
I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold-blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us. Innocent children in their school have no place in horror such as this. I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts and stand united...
The Dibbler, an endangered carnivorous marsupial, has made a return to Perth, Western Australia, with the release of 54 individuals into a local metropolitan park, this October.
The Perth Zoo bred animals were released into a 150 hectare (371 acre) fenced area at Whiteman Park, giving them a chance to establish in the absence of foxes and cats, which have likely contributed to their decline in the wild.
Lisa Mantellato, from Perth Zoo’s Native Species Breeding Program, said: “We have bred Dibblers for release into various habitats in the past, but this is the first time they have been returned to metropolitan Perth. Judging from sub-fossil records, Whiteman Park formed part of the Dibbler’s former natural range. We hope that through this program we can establish a self-sustaining population of Dibblers within the metropolitan parkland.”
Perth Zoo has been breeding Dibblers for release since 1997 resulting in the establishment of two new wild populations. In 1996, the first recovery plan was put in place by the Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, with an aim to increase the species’ numbers and expand their distribution. The 2007 recovery plan maintains the need for a captive breeding colony to establish further populations.
Dr Tony Friend, from the Department of Parks and Wildlife said: “Establishing populations of small carnivores is always challenging and the Dibblers certainly fit that bill with a short life-span, matched with a ‘live fast and die young strategy to life’. So anything that limits the success of the first few years of breeding in the wild can have a big impact.”
Fourteen of the Dibblers will carry tiny radio transmitters, weighing less than one gram each, to assist in determining the success of the reintroduction into the predator-free area. University of Western Australia researchers will undertake the monitoring to learn more about the habits of this crepuscular animal and help inform future recovery actions.
This endangered Western Australian species was once found in coastal areas around the south-west corner of Australia, from SharkBay around to Albany and east to the western parts of South Australia, but by the early 1900s they were thought to be extinct. Only a chance discovery in 1967 revealed the species still survived, though in much smaller numbers. Since then, Dibblers have only been found to survive, in the wild, on two small Jurien Bay islands and in the Fitzgerald River National Park.
The Dibbler is threatened by loss of habitat caused by land clearing, the plant disease Phytophthora, die-back, and wildfires. On top of that, introduced foxes and cats also prey on them.
Perth Zoo’s Native Species Breeding Program breeds threatened Western Australian fauna for release into natural habitat. Since 1992, more than 2700 animals bred at the Zoo including Dibblers, Numbats, Western Swamp Tortoises and endangered frogs have been released into the wild and through this collaboration between Parks and Wildlife and Perth Zoo, a huge effort continues to save the State’s wildlife.
Pizza Underground, the pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band
that gets to boast Macaulay Culkin as a member, always seemed like an inside joke gone a little too far. But with their new music video for a medley of Velvet Underground songs that have apparently replaced all the references to heroin with fun lyrics about pizza, they've proven, they're the real hip-as-fuck deal.
The first Capybara in over 10 years has been born at Houston Zoo in Texas! The little male, named Mr. Pibb, was born to mom, Sunkist, and dad, Pop (not pictured). He is a very curious youngster and wasn't at all camera-shy. On December 10, he went outside for the first time with his mom.
The baby was eating solid foods after only a few days, and even started 'borrowing' his mom's food to eat. He wanted to try everything in his mom's food bowl, and after eating it, he decided to get inside!
Photo credit: Houston Zoo
See more after the fold!
Capybaras are the world's largest rodent, with large adults weighing up to about 150 pounds (68 kg). Found in South America, they live in social groups and are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a species of Least Concern.
This is what happens when a happy bunny finds a pink balloon!
This little bunny is so filled with joy! Watch it hop around with a little pink ballon and let this adorable video serve as your Friday reminder that sometimes the little things can make you giddy with happiness:
Sometimes a good fart cannot be contained, as we learned today on The View thanks to Whoopi Goldberg. While the hosts were discussing getting flu shots along with their guest Ashanti, Whoopi let a slow one rip. The sound was audible. She excused herself, but it didn't stop there.
The Sony hack continues to unearth the entertainment industry's unmentionables — now in the form of secret aliases. While poring over the latest batch of documents leaked by the unidentified cybercriminal group Guardians of Peace, Fusion stumbled upon a folder that contained "publicity bibles" for recently released Sony films. The files within the folder detailed cast and crew contact directories, which included the fake names some of the studio's movie stars use(d) to do normal-people things.
Here are some of the aliases Fusion shared:
Tom Hanks: "Harry Lauder" and "Johnny Madrid" Sarah Michelle Gellar: "Neely O'Hara" Tobey Maguire: "Neil Deep" Natalie Portman: "Lauren Brown" Clive Owen: "Robert Fenton" Rob Schneider: "Nazzo Good" Taye Diggs: "Scott Diggs" Jude Law: "Mr. Perry" Daniel Craig: "Olwen Williams" Jessica Alba: "Cash Money" Ice Cube: "Darius Stone" and "O'Shea Jackson" Debra Messing: "Ava Harper"
As the outlet pointed out, now is prime time to change your alter egos and contact information, guys.
On September 30th, the Taipei Zoo welcomed the birth of a female Pangolin, named “Gung-wu”.
Photo Credits: Taipei Zoo
The tiny Pangolin, born with eyes half open, began crawling, within an hour of birth, in search of nourishment from her mother. Although the Pangolin mother was a willing participant, she was unable to provide an adequate supply of milk for the new baby.
Zoo staff were patient with the new mother, but when the baby began to lose weight, the decision was made to intervene on behalf of the newborn. Now, zoo keepers provide 24 hour care and feeding for “Gung-wu”, and her weight and health have stabilized.
Pangolins are mammals of the order Pholidota. They are nocturnal insectivores and are native to Africa and Asia. As a result of increasing threats to Pangolins, mainly in the form of illegal, international trade in Pangolin skin, scales and meat, these species have received increasing conservation attention in recent years. In 2014, the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) re-categorized all eight species of Pangolin on its Red List of Threatened Species, and each species is now classified as “Critically Endangered”.
Attention all 90s kids! Your mornings are about to get better, because French Toast Crunch is BACK! General Mills announced that the super popular and deliciously sugary cereal will return to grocery store shelves in late January. This breaking news obviously means that ’90s kids around the world can finally start eating breakfast again. The beloved cereal met its demise in 2006, much to the dismay of cereal fans everywhere (probably not much to the dismay of parents, though). But thanks to a successful Facebook campaign, the cinnamon and sugar cereal is making a triumphant comeback. That’s social media at its finest! Let the French Toast Crunch return countdown begin! Happy Monday, everyone.
For now the cereal will only be available in select grocery stores, but come January the box o’ goodness will go national. The packaging has been slightly updated—the cartoon dude who used to pour maple syrup over the mini-toasties apparently didn’t have the staying power of, say, the Trix rabbit. But who cares what’s on the box. What matters is what’s in it.
I remember watching the "Numa Numa" video as a freshman in high school and thinking it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. I made my mom watch it, I made my friends watch it — and it turns out, Slate notes, that an awful lot of other people were doing the exact same thing.
Today, Gary Brolsma's infectious, heartfelt performance of Romanian pop song "Dragostea Din Tei" turns 10 years old. The then-19 year old first uploaded his video to Newgrounds, because this was before YouTube was the behemoth it is today. CNN, VH1, Good Morning America and more came calling, and Brolsma's flash-in...
Ok, so it’s not actually paper, but it sure looks like a sheet of looseleaf, doesn’t it? Little Factory is no stranger to making great products, and their latest one, Paper Scarf, resembles a long sheet of notebook paper that you can wrap around your neck, just like a scarf made of wool or cashmere.
The Paper Scarf is made out of the paper-like Tyvek material, which is known for its durability. It’s also breathable and water resistant. So, while it looks like a basic sheet of paper, this scarf will actually keep you warm.
On Monday, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his teeth, and his wife Cherie released a Christmas card that would make all of the characters from Love Actually cry. Looking at it for too long is hypnotic in a kind of terrifying way. And it didn't take the internet long to jump on the Tony Blair Christmas Card Joke Train.
