Olly Oliver presides over Sainsbury's from his perch atop the shelves | Image: Nigel Thornberry
If you happen to be a regular shopper at the Brockley location of Sainsbury’s market in London, chances are that you're not hostile toward the idea of having a cat hanging out with your prospective food purchases. Because Olly Oliver, the six-year-old cat pictured above, is a fairly regular installment.
He may live in the house next door, but Olly obviously prefers the action, company and interesting smells of Sainsbury's to his quiet home. Though a spokesperson for the market calls the cat a health and safety risk and says he's been removed from the premises multiple times, Olly, who is popular with the store staff, still manages to accrue significant hang time.
See a video and more pictures of this unlikely food spokesman — including a shot of him curled up with his brother — here.
Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
Image: Vulture
Have you ever looked up after reading a book and felt as if the contents so moved you that the act of reading the text was a life- or mind-altering experience? Such a feeling doesn't strike very often in readers' lives, but when it does, they don't soon forget it.
In part as inspiration for 2016 reading list titles, the staff at Vulture asked a number of noted authors to name titles that felt like life changers for them. Some examples follow; see the list in its entirety here.
Erik Larson, author of Dead Wake and The Devil in the White City
“In a very concrete sense, it was the novel The Alienist, by Caleb Carr, because it put me so viscerally into the streets of old New York that I decided to see if I could conjure an equally rich sense of the past, but in a work of nonfiction. Originally I planned to write about a historical murder but got sidetracked, and wrote Isaac’s Storm, about a giant hurricane. It’s still all Caleb Carr’s fault.”
Ken Liu, author of The Grace of Kings
“A book that changed my life is Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Before reading it, I had not encountered a piece of writing about living an authentic life that could engage the emotions with such power and purity of purpose. It was incendiary, transcendent, and made me yearn to be a writer — a dream that would take more than 20 years to accomplish.”
Elizabeth Hand, author of Wylding Hall and Generation Loss
“Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl. I first encountered this as a high-school senior, when it was assigned reading. Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist who specialized in studying and treating suicidal patients, then spent three years in German concentration camps during the war. His parents and brother died in the camps, as did his pregnant wife, who died at Bergen-Belsen. After liberation in 1945, Frankl developed logotherapy, which aims to help an individual find meaning in her/his life, even in the face of almost unendurable loss and suffering. The first half of this book recounts his experience in the camps; the second is a step-by-step discussion of what logotherapy is and how it works. The German title roughly translates to 'Saying Yes to Life in Spite of Everything: A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp,' and that pretty much sums it up. It's a remarkable testament to human resilience, and a remarkable guidebook for surviving despair. ‘What is demanded of man is not, as some existential philosophers teach, to endure the meaninglessness of life, but rather to bear his incapacity to grasp its unconditional meaninglessness in rational terms,’ Frankl said.”
Judy Pratt and Nicky Duenkel reside in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Yet when Judy retired, the couple reconsidered their lifestyle. They wanted their relationship to be the focus of their lives, yet their monthly bills necessitated that Nicky still work long hours.
After consideration, the couple decided to build themselves a home measuring just 175-square feet. Downsizing drastically reduced their expenses and allowed Nicky to cut back to part-time hours. The pair moved into their new space in November 2015.
Though Judy and Nicky find the home a cozy, perfect fit for them, a steep staircase leading to their second-floor bedroom was tough for their dog to climb, so they installed a small elevator for him. Duenkel said of the move overall,
“[The house] put our relationship, which is what our priority is, back into the center of our lives. So with [fewer] bills to pay we will be able to work part-time and actually be able to have a very big life in a tiny house.”
To see Judy and Nicky's home, watch the video below. Also, check out other interesting tiny spaces, such as this 20-square-foot residence that looks like it sprung from the pages of an IKEA catalog, this bus converted into a tiny mobile home in which to travel across country, as well as this 192-square-foot eco-friendly tiny abode that boasts an open deck and glass wall. Via Design Taxi
Ripley and Hicks in Aliens (1986) | Image: Twentieth Century Fox
The number of factors that are involved in whether a movie character is written out of a subsequent script can be huge. Maybe the actor was a nightmare to work with and no one (especially the director) wants a repeat performance. Maybe the actor asked for a huge salary hike and the franchise found the desire unrealistic and were unwilling to meet the demand. Or perhaps the character simply doesn't make sense in the context of the new script, and the principals want "new blood." It could even be a combination of all of the previously listed factors and some in addition.
Ultimately, whatever the reason for the character/actor taking a powder, the audience is presented with a reason for the absence. Sometimes the explanation runs the range of "not well fleshed out" to "patently ridiculous."
7) Newt, Hicks and Bishop in Alien 3:
Ripley’s entire ragtag family died on impact when the Sulaco crash-landed onto a prison planet—or more accurately, they were impaled (Hicks), drowned (Newt) and deactivated (Bishop). They are eulogized thusly:
“Why? Why are the innocent punished? Why the sacrifice? Why the pain? There aren’t any promises. Nothing’s certain. Only that some get called, some get saved."
This article at i09 lists 29 instances in which characters were written out of movie sequels. Well played, plausible, improbable or pathetic? You decide.
Boomer in his ball pit | Image: Catmantoo
The footage in the video below features a gray Bengal cat named Boomer who comes from an lllustrious feline family (his big sister is Didga, a cat who has an amazing talent for tricks). Thus far, Boomer has shown that he has a flair for having fun. This video of him entertaining himself with bunch of rubber balls shows his commitment to the pastime of being playful. Via Laughing Squid
Cheeseburger Soup | Image and Recipe: The Recipe Critic
Some meals are not only nutrititious parts of your diet but they can also be problem solvers. Soup is one of those helpful dishes. A hearty soup can be a one-dish meal; easier to prepare than an entree with several sides, and cleanup is quicker as well. Those who aren't confident cooks often feel less intimidated when taking on the preparation of a soup. It's a great food item with which to task a kid who is learning to cook. Even if they aren't in charge of the dish, they may learn quite a bit during the prep phase.
Winter is in full swing, and a tasty soup would be just the thing for your lunch and dinner table. The linked article presents no less than fifty soup recipes for you to taste test. More than a few of them look absolutely delicious. Check them out and see which dishes appeal to you and your loved ones.
Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Spinach | Image and Recipe: Yellow Bliss Road
Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup | Image and Recipe: Chef in Training
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup with Croutons | Image and Recipe: Cooking Classy
Image: Sergi Karplyuk
If you've been reading the heaps of 2015 "end of" articles, you've seen the year summed up in any number of different ways. But how about weirdness? Allow Neatorama's own Miss Cellania to present you with the year 2015 in terms of its weird news. Read on for a couple of stories included in the mix:
19. VEHICLE FLATTENED BETWEEN TWO SEMIS
And the driver is fine. Despite his Chevy Silverado being crushed to the size of a smart car, Kaleb Whitby only received a few cuts and bruises in the January I-84 accident near Baker City, Oregon.
More than 100 people were involved in the morning pileup on Interstate 84, about 33 miles east of Baker City. At least three separate collisions involving more than 20 vehicles, most of them semi-trucks, injured a dozen people.
Black ice conditions led to the multiple accidents. In Whitby’s collision, a tractor-trailer jackknifed across the highway. Whitby slid into the truck. Another tractor-trailer saw the first truck and slid sideways into the first truck, crushing Whitby’s pickup. After ascertaining that Whitby was alive and not seriously injured, the second truck driver, Sergi Karplyuk, asked if he could take a picture. Karplyuk helped Whitby free himself of the crushed pickup within a half-hour. He and Karplyuk joined other bystanders to help injured people. Whitby was checked out at a hospital later and came home with two Band-aids on his finger. You can read the details, and see more pictures, at Oregon Live.
If that wasn't odd enough, try this zoo drama on for size:
9. MEERKAT EXPERT SENTENCED OVER ASSAULT ON MONKEY HANDLER
Working at a zoo can be as much of a soap opera as any other workplace. The first sentence from the Associated Press story spells it out:A former meerkat expert at London Zoo has been ordered to pay compensation to a monkey handler she attacked with a wine glass in a love spat over a llama-keeper.
Caroline Westlake, who worked with meerkats, was sentenced to 12 months of community service and must pay £800 to the victim of her assault, monkey handler Kate Sanders. The assault happened at an employee Christmas party at the zoo last year, when the two women were arguing about a third zoo employee, llama keeper Adam Davies. The designation of “former meerkat expert” does not mean Westlake is no longer an expert, but that she was fired from the zoo over the incident.
See all 20 items of the year 2015 in weird news at mental_floss.
When single father Cory Grimes took his minivan in for repairs shortly before Christmas after trying in vain to fix the vehicle himself, it was with the knowledge that his last dollar would be spent on the bill.
Grimes, a Colorado part-time dishwasher struggling to care for his autistic son, was accustomed to barely making ends meet each month.
Yet Grimes was stunned when he learned that the mechanic in Strasburg, Colorado who fixed his minivan had learned of his circumstances and waived his $1,500 repair fee.
As can be seen in this video footage, a tearful Grimes, who left the shop with the repair money in hand, expressed his joy in being able to use some of the money to treat his son to a nice Christmas.
To read more on this story, see this USA Today article. Via 22 Words
12 Monkeys | Image: Universal Pictures
Believe it or not, it’s been two decades since Terry Gilliam’s atmospheric film 12 Monkeys was released on January 5, 1996. The audience watched in suspense as prisoner James Cole, through no fault of his own, somewhat inefficiently time traveled to collect evidence that would help his government piece together the cataclysmic events of their environs.
The list linked below contains facts surrounding the making of 12 Monkeys. One example follows:
In the scene where Cole draws his own blood, you may not have noticed the out-of-focus hamster in the foreground. The shot called for that hamster to be spinning in its wheel, but the animal refused to cooperate at first. Gilliam, a well-known perfectionist, insisted the shot work exactly as he envisioned it, and the crew spent the rest of the day trying to get it right, succeeding several hours later. This meticulous approach was nicknamed “The Hamster Factor” by the crew for the remainder of the film’s shoot. That nickname also inspired the title for the behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of 12 Monkeys.
The King of Comedy | Image: Twentieth Century Fox
A link between comedians and depression has long been discussed and analyzed, by psychologists and comedians alike. Some might theorize that such a relationship may explain why many comedians are adept at dramatic acting performances.
The article linked below contains 40 of Vulture's selections of the best dramatic performances from actors known for their comedic chops. The list not only highlights excellent performances, but includes great films; from Life is Beautiful to The King of Comedy, they're classics ripe for additional viewings. Check out all forty selections here.
As YouTuber Keith Corbin describes the action in this adorable Christmas 2015 video of his son,
"My son Anthony asked Santa for three things: a Paw Patrol tooth brush, a bottle of A-1 Steak Sauce and a drum for his 18 month old sister Lillian to play. Santa brought all three, but his reaction to the steak sauce was heartwarming and genuine. He was telling everyone it was a special bottle with Reindeer Spices and that Santa made it just for him! Who knew such a simple gift would be so awesome? Proves sometimes it is the simplest gifts that matter the most. And I'm pretty sure he's serious when he says he isn't sharing."
If only every American could be this thrilled and satisfied by seeing their family member get a toy drum and receiving a grocery item costing under five dollars! Via Daily Dot
In this sweet video, YouTube user and wife Brittany LeBlanc Welch presents her husband David, who is hearing impaired, with a gift on October 15 this year. The gift bag contains a Dad's Root Beer, a Baby Ruth candy bar *and* a positive pregnancy test, to eliminate all confusion. In this way, and with some American Sign Language communication thrown into the mix, David learns of their upcoming role as parents, and there's nary a dry eye to be found. Via Uproxx
This uplifting National Geographic footage of the Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley in Littleton, Massachusetts shows their residents engaging and developing ear-to-ear grins as a result of a visit from Travis the llama. A staff member there explains how such an animal has advantages over others in certain therapy environments. Regardless of what the experts say, the faces of these happy residents are proof enough that this visit is a good idea. Via Laughing Squid
Have you ever strayed into a gym just after January first, having sworn to make yourself not such a stranger there, only to be amazed and confused at the creatures that constantly inhabit the various areas of the building? If so, you're not alone. Before that ever happens again, view this primer on gym wildlife. It may help with your adjustment into this foreign and often extreme environment. Warning: NSFW language. Via Uproxx
Image: tom.arthur
Pixar Animation Studios is a modern American business success story, with its sixteen feature films having made $9.5 billion globally. It's always been a company on the forefront of technology, having made the first ever computer animated feature film with 1995's Toy Story.
The linked article presents 79 facts about Pixar. A few examples follow:
5) The android in The Adventures of André and Wally B. was named after a character in the 1981 movie My Dinner with André, in which actors Wallace Shawn and André Gregory play themselves sharing an evening meal. The movie was a favorite of many of the animators.
6) Steve Jobs bought Pixar for $5 million on Feb. 3, 1986. That's the equivalent of roughly $10.7 million in 2015.
7) Pixar lost a lot of money in its first years after being acquired by Jobs, according to The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company, by David A. Price. "For the first 10 years we lost a lot of Steve's money. A lot of Steve's money," Pixar animator John Lasseter was quoted as saying in the book.
20) Toy Story 2 (1999) got deleted after someone accidentally ran the wrong function on the drive where all the files were kept. The film was saved after a member of the Pixar team (who was also a mother) revealed that she kept a back-up copy of the film to work on at home.