In this episode of Kids React, the unfortunate little tykes are being subjected to Spam. Obviously some people like the stuff or it wouldn't be on the market, but I've never met a Spam proponent in person, nor have I tried it. After hearing the sound of the gelatinous substance sliding out of the can courtesy of this video, I have no regrets about not being adventurous in that regard. Any Spam fans reading this? Sing its praises, as well as what your preferred method of preparation is, in the comments. -Via Viral Viral Videos
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Iowan Nancy Franck was in a Cedar Rapids hospital for over a week after having cancer surgery. While Nancy was away, Sissy and Barney, her miniature schnauzers, were at home being cared for by her husband Dale. But 11-year-old Sissy evidently decided early one morning that it had been too long since she had seen her mom. When Dale took the dogs out at 1:30 AM last Saturday, Sissy ran off, and Dale was devastated.
Little did Dale know he had no reason to worry. Sissy walked 20 blocks to Mercy Medical Center and entered the automatic doors at the entrance, proceeding to roam the halls looking for Nancy. Dale told television news station WJLA that Sissy had never been to the hospital before, but once she rode in the car with Dale when he dropped Nancy off at work near the hospital, though he didn't take the same route Sissy did on her walk.
Read more on this sweet story here.
Turkish cay tea is served with every meal and often in between. The black tea does not take milk and can be served with or without sugar. It is usually brewed in a two-chamber teapot.
Image: Flickr: 10527553@N03 / Creative Commons
I've never taken to drinking coffee, likely as a result of spending time in England and Scotland as a kid. Their delicious, strong tea with cream and sugar charmed my taste buds to the point that I've never drank anything else. Coffee always tasted bitter and disagreeable in comparison.
According to the Mayo Clinic, an 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains approximately 95-200 milligrams of caffeiine, whereas an 8-ounce cup of brewed black tea contains about 14-70 milligrams (24-45 mg for green tea). So, though coffee generally edges out tea in the caffeine department, both drinks are capable of giving someone a jolt as needed. What is your preference, and how do you take it?
See tea from 19 other countries here.
Hong Kong: iced milk tea known as pantyhose tea or silk stocking tea due to its similarity in color to nude stockings. To make the tea, combine strong chilled black tea with evaporated or condensed milk and serve over ice.
Image: Flickr: 71284893@N00 / Creative Commons
Spearmint is steeped in green tea for this drink, popular in Morocco and across much of North Africa. Learn how to brew your own here.
Image: Flickr: lizziemoch / Creative Commons
Image: en.wikipedia.org
Beautiful Viven Leigh was only 25 years old when she filmed the movie for which she'd be most remembered, Gone With the Wind. At the time, Barbara O'Neil, the actress who played her mother in the film, was aged 28.
The role of Scarlett O'Hara was coveted by every famous actress of the day, including Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn and Paulette Goddard. Beating out hundreds of actresses for the role of Scarlett, Leigh may not have realized what she was in for.
Over the course of the film shoot, Leigh worked 6, 16-hour days a week for 125 days. Actress Cammie Conlon, who played her daughter Bonnie Blue, remembered Leigh looking worn down.
“I have candids of her taken on set. She is exhausted... She was in every scene, almost."
In spite of Leigh's hard work, she only earned a fraction of the salary that her costar Clark Gable did, although he wasn't in nearly as many scenes. Gable's 71-day stint made him $120,000. For Leigh's 125 days of work, she received $25,000.
Read more interesting facts about Vivien Leigh at Mental Floss.
Endre Penovác is a Serbian artist who captures both the form and spirit of cats with black watercolors and ink. Penovác heavily dilutes the media with more water, which runs and pools the tint and alludes to the motion of the animal.
Visit the artist's website to see more of his work, and order prints of the artwork through Saatchi Art.
-Via Colossal
Amazon has announced they'll be remaking that surreal 70s children's television show Sid and Marty Krofft's Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. What's more is, they'll be makiing it with the Kroffts themselves. Amazon studios Vice President told TVLine,
“Sid and Marty are geniuses, and we are honored to be working with them to bring to the world a return of what we believe is TV’s most fabulous and funniest sea creature ever.”
Does anyone remember this show? Yes, it really happened. It wasn't a dream you had after a heavy meal or a wild party. Read more and refresh your memory with a (blurry) video at io9.
Julia Pastrana (previously at Neatorama) is the topic of a well written article at The Public Domain Review. Pastrana was an indigenous Mexican woman born in 1834 with deformities that resulted in her and her mother being shunned by their tribe. Julia was born with hypertrichosis terminalis and abnormalities of the mouth and jaw. These conditions made her appearance startling to most, as her entire body was covered in long, black hair and her face had an appearance more akin to prehistoric than modern humans.
Exhibited as a human oddity worldwide, Pastrana suffered the indignities and tragic life of a person in such circumstances. Even in death, Julia was not free of being an object to be gaped at and studied. Yet in the end, the fight of an artist from her native country freed her of being a slave to human curiosity. Thus, the article covers both the incomprehensible cruelty of humanity and the empathy and grace that, in Julia's case, triumphed over it in the end. Read her story at the Public Domain Review.
Via The Presurfer | Image: Wellcome Library
One cat in the house is given treats, but that doesn't mean he'll be eating them. There's a swiftly moving paw in between the aforementioned cat and the treats presented to him. They're being stolen at a rate that obviously has him feeling too overpowered and outsmarted to do much of anything. -Via Tastefully Offensive
Heinz has released a new ketchup product that is flavored with the beloved and trendy condiment sriracha. The brand, which already carries jalapeño ketchup, is now spicing things up with sriracha.
In the Heinz press release on the product, brand manager Joseph Giallanella said,
“The new offering adds a new kick to your favorite foods and recipes, pairing well with cheeseburgers, French fries and hot dogs, and is the perfect flavor boost for chicken and eggs.”
Sounds pretty tasty... and darn it if this didn't just make me crave french fries.
Via Laughing Squid | Image: Heinz
"I was running in a field of flames, chased by flying octopus. I was really scared and my only weapon was fireworks." | Margaux, 01.17.2014
A new Tumblr called Photoshop Your Dreams has popped up, and it's an amusing diversion. People submit descriptions of their dreams and those behind the blog curtain render the description in Photoshop and post it for the entertainment of internet visitors. Aside from the visual humor, it's also a great virtual place to drop in if one wants company in their feeling of waking from a bizarre dose of their subconscious.
Check out the Photoshop Your Dreams blog here.
“I dreamt I passed my driving license on tricycle.” | Gabrielle, 02.05.2014
Image: Caters News Agency
Wildlife photographer Christophe Courteau was photographing silverback gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda recently when a 550-pound male gorilla suddenly and aggressively rushed him.
According to Caters News Agency, Courteau was taking pictures when the alpha male of the group advanced on him without provocation. Courteau, evidently as seasoned a wildlife photographer as they come, remained composed and kept shooting.
The silverback, named Akarevuro, had spent the day with his family eating bamboo stems. The stems ferment in the stomachs of the gorillas, rendering them intoxicated and impulsive.
Christophe told Caters News Agency,
"Suddenly, Akarevuro, who was stood close to us, just ran at me, but I could not move away as I was taking photos on my knees.
"In less than a second, he was on me, and strongly hit me like a rugby player.
"With the shock, I felt all his power and weight on my body.
"A silverback gorilla like him weights around 250kg, so imagine a 250kg rugby player running straight towards you.
"Normally, they timidly avoid visitors when they move close, but not this time, Akarevuro was too excited and drunk."
Read the full article and see additional images here. -Via i09
Jennifer Morales has a beautiful Persian cat. A beautiful, willful Persian cat (though it may be redundant to use "cat" and "willful" in the same sentence). Morales catches the cat red-pawed, poised to knock a glass of water off a table. She tells the cat no, which obviously registers with the animal. He may know what it means, but that doesn't mean he'll follow your rules, Jennifer. On the contrary. -Via Tastefully Offensive
Creatives with similar ideas can tweet with hashtag #iouselesst for them to be considered for the blog. See more amusing faux technological innovations here.
The Chatsworth crash | Image: MR O Via Wikimedia Commons
A terrible train wreck occurred on September 12, 2008 in California's San Fernando Valley. A Metrolink commuter train carrying 225 riders collided with a Union Pacific freight train. In what is now referred to as the Chatsworth crash, 135 people were injured. Of those injured, 87 people were hospitalized and 25 died. It was determined that the engineer of the Metrolink train was texting at the time of the crash, and that train was considered to be at fault in the tragic accident.
One of the fatalities on the Metrolink train was 49-year-old Charles Peck, a Delta Airlines customer service representative from Salt Lake City. Peck had been in Los Angeles to interview for a job at Van Nuys airport. He and his fiancé Andrea Katz had put off marriage until Peck could relocate to the Los Angeles area, where Katz lived. It would be Charles Peck's second marriage. His first marriage had produced three children.
News of the deadly crash spread as Andrea Katz made her way to the train station to pick up her fiancé. When Peck's parents and siblings heard of the accident, they joined Katz for what was to be a most harrowing experience.
Peck died on impact. Yet his body wasn't found for another dozen hours after the crash. During those hours, Peck's mobile phone made a series of calls to his fiancé and many family members. Thirty-five calls in all were made from Peck's phone to members of his family and inner circle, all of which consisted of a few minutes of silence before disconnection. As the calls continued, authorities used Peck's cell signal in order to locate his body, which they eventually did, one hour after the last call. Peck's phone was never found.
Visit this link to read nine more cases involving mysterious phone calls.
Wildlife photographer Megan Lopez captured this GoPro footage of burrowing owls who make an appearance from underground and find things on the surface quite danceworthy. With music by Aquadrop. -Via Laughing Squid
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