There's a place in the UK to which the letters OAP are of utmost importance. The acronym, which to them stands for Old Age Pussycats, is their clientele. This charity, called The Lincolnshire Trust for Cats, believes itself to be the only kitty retirement home in the world. 

The cozy home has everything to please finicky felines in their twilight years. The features include seven acres of land, heated beds, sofas, a fireplace aflame, and a southerly facing orientation, allowing for "a lot of sunbathing options," according to a staff member. 

Some resident cats' owners have passed on, others have moved. The founder Jain Hills says,

"I know of some charities that have a few elderly cats, but they are not doing it on the scale we are. For cats to come to us, people have either got to make a provision in their will, or people come to look round. I don't think anywhere else does it because people come all the way from London with the cats to come here."

An initial payment of £850 ($1,307.45 US) is necessary for a cat to relocate to the facility, which is located near the village of Osgodby, in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. After the first payment, the trust covers the cost of living and veterinary care (including necessary surgeries) for the cats. Staff members are present night and day to care for the animals. Now that's even better than a giant cardboard box! Aging humans should have it that good!

Read more and see additional pictures in this BBC article and at the website of the Lincolnshire Trust for Cats. -Via Arbroath

Image: Wikipedia

Many internet users turn to Wikipedia as a quick reference when they're looking for an overview of information or a starting point to seek additional sources. The article linked below lists 47 other valuable online references for individuals looking for information. One can never have too many reference options to compare and use as bridges to additional sources. 

Suggested resources include the Encyclopedia Smithsonian, a collection of all offerings from the Smithsonian Museum. The site consists of more than two million records with accompanying image, video and sound files, electronic journals and other museum resources. 

Also suggested is HyperHistory, a database spanning 3000 years of world history, presented with interactive timelines, graphics and maps. 

See the full list of 47 information sources to use as Wikipedia alternatives here.  

Jiggly salads? Groovy. | Image: Flickr/wanderingmagpie / Via Creative Commons
 
It's nothing short of mind boggling what dangerous, politically incorrect and otherwise unacceptable items used to pass muster in our lifetimes and those of our parents. Sometimes the ideas of cultural change and progress seem abstract; one way to see them immediately is to look back at old advertisements and media. Here is a collection of 1960s products, concepts and ideas that now seem inadvisable at best.  

Babies + Cellophane equaled advertisement material, man! | Image: collectorsweekly.com 

YouTube Link

YouTube user Porsche Indrisie, an Australian from Applecross, captured this footage of an octopus surprising a crab by snapping it up and making a meal of it. The video was filmed in Yallingup, Australia. Indrisie was so shocked that she blurted a NSFW expletive at the end.

YouTube Link

Shown here in what is just a rehearsal, musical group Louisville Leopard Percussionists play a medley of three Led Zeppelin songs, "Kashmir," The Ocean," and "Immigrant Song" on xylophones, marimbas and drums, definitely bringing it on home with their performance.

The group consists of 55 student musicians, ages 7 through 12, all from the Louisville, Kentucky metro area. Each group member achieves proficiency on several instruments including marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, drums, timbales, congas, bongos and piano.

The group likely was thrilled when none other than Jimmy Page linked to this video from his Facebook page on Friday, with the message “Too good not to share.” Now that is the stuff of a "band geek's" dreams! Congratulations, kids! -Via Dangerous Minds

YouTube Link

These red pandas at the Cincinnati Zoo seem to grin from ear to ear as they playfully tumble in the deep snowfall of the area. Shown in this footage are the two red pandas in residence at the zoo, two-year-old Lin and nine-year-old Rover. What an incredibly cute species — they always appear to be smiling. -Via Tastefully Offensive

Image: Twentieth Century Fox

Office Space is a film to which everyone who's had a monotonous, thankless job as a cube dweller can relate. Released in 1999, the film's popularity slowly but steadily snowballed into the cult classic it is today. Who can forget the incomparable Michael Bolton grimace? Or Lumbergh's way of finessing his employees into extra hours?

Even minor characters like Peter's neighbor Lawrence are memorable. The actor who played Lawrence, Diedrich Bader, also played Oswald Lee Harvey on The Drew Carey Show. Bader had a succinct vision of Lawrence that he brought to the table: he wanted to make him look like “somebody who loved the Allman Brothers.” Aaaand bingo.

Read more fun facts about Office Space at Mental Floss.

Image: reddit.com

A lot of Americans, particularly those on the East coast, are likely wondering what good could possibly come out of snow. It's hard to blame them, though judging from these pictures, some people dream up creative uses for snow after every storm. Whether their sculptures are for fun, function or both, many are smile inducing. Check out this photo gallery of people making the best of a snowfall. 


Image: reddit.com

Image: reddit.com

Diamond the pit bull terrier came into the care of Fulton County Animal Services in Atlanta last summer, when she was eight years old. Her skin was ravaged by what looked to some like acid burns and her ears were mangled. A volunteer at the organization, Neely Conway, described meeting the dog:

"When I saw Diamond, I was immediately brought to tears. When I took her outside I couldn't stop crying. This sweet animal had suffered so much, but was approaching dogs and humans with such a loving and gentle demeanor. I knew she needed to be saved."

Finding a home for an eight-year-old pit bull who had been through so much proved a challenge for Fulton County. Eventually, Conway wrote a blog entry about Diamond and posted it to Reddit. It was at that point that Diamond would meet the woman, named Melissa, who would provide her with a permanent home.

Read the wonderful happy ending to this story — of Melissa and Diamond's meeting, friendship and her adorable and useful clothes — at the Huffington Post.   

Diamond's scarred ears and skin prior to being adopted

YouTube Link

This video by The Pet Collective shows a litter of golden retriever pups exploring a big bowl of ice cubes on a summer day. Some cubes stick to the puppies, who playfully try to shake them off. One even lays down for a nap on a comfy-cool bed of cubes. This video may be from a summer past, but for some of us, it's nice to see gaiety in warm temperatures, even if it's via video footage.  Via Laughing Squid

A street gang with style: the Peaky Blinders | Image: West Midlands Police Museum

If you've ever seen Scorsese's historical epic Gangs of New York, about the lawless, cutthroat ways of life in mid-nineteenth-century New York's Five Points neighborhood, you've had a glimpse into the world of street gangs in that era. The section of lower Manhattan was marred by poverty, unemployment, overcrowding, disease due to wastewater and poor sanitation, violent crime and a lack of organized fire protection and law enforcement. The slum was crammed with people who had no other options: primarily Irish and other immigrants. At the time, the murder rate in the Five Points was higher than that of any other slum in the world. 

While the Five Points was an ideal breeding ground for street gangs, it wasn't the only area of the world that was plagued by such a criminal element. The linked article details street gangs that were prevalent in city sections of Victorian-era England, Scotland and Australia. 

One such English gang was Birmingham's Peaky Blinders (also the basis for an ongoing BBC television series). Possibly named for their wearable weapon — caps with razor blades embedded in the brims — poverty and a lack of organized protections and assistance bore this gang of youths that ravaged the areas inhabited by those with few other choices.

The Blinders were commonly involved in the kind of vicious, bloody street fights exemplified in Gangs of New York, some of which continued for hours. Typical of street gangs, the Peaky Blinders controlled protection rackets and preyed on vulnerable citizens. 

One way the gang distinguished themselves was the manner in which they dressed. The only street gang in the vicinity that could be considered dapper, the boys were famous for their quality clothing materials, well-fitted pants and silk scarves. Their reputation for style made it easier to recruit children into the gang. Twelve and thirteen-year-old members were commonplace. 

Read about nine other Victorian-era street gangs here.  

Andy Brunning, a chemistry teacher in the UK, started a blog called Compound Interest, on which he shares graphics looking at the chemistry and chemical reactions people come across on a day-to-day basis. The offering shown above is a chart Brunning created that illustrates the chemistry in the atmospheres of the planets in our solar system. The chart also differentiates between terrestrial planets and gas giants and lists the atmospheric pressure of each. 

Click here to see an enlarged version, and visit Brunning's Compound Interest blog here.

Image: Hodnikee

Zach Norris of Phoenix, Arizona went to a local Goodwill store, looking for a golf cart. Prior to leaving, Norris, a collector of watches, took a moment to peruse their timepiece offerings. Excited to see a rare Swiss watch, he purchased it on sale for $5.99. Norris was later able to sell his find on a watch collector's website for $35,000, plus another watch.

See a video and read the details of this story, including what type of watch Norris found and the special way he plans to use some of the profits from its sale, in this article.

The Arc de Triomphe, from close by (above) and afar (below)

Perspective. It can lend clarity to everything from emotional and life matters to visual and memory perception. In the case of this photo collection, landmarks and cityscapes are viewed from near and far, which can make a significant difference in how they are perceived. What seemed remotely located appears that way no longer when observed from a distance. A visual pattern that looks as if it repeats for miles abruptly stops as viewed from above. The concept is analogous to life, as what can seem like an insurmountable obstacle or devastating loss can be viewed as a minor bump in the road when considered in retrospect. 

See more landmarks and landscapes in perspective in this article.

Sagrada Familia, Spain