One of my dreams is to hold a sloth, which is one of my all-time favorite animals, but lately I've been thinking it's a terrible idea. I remember petting a dolphin as a teen before understanding how intelligent they are and how cruel it is to keep them in a tank, and now I'm thinking sloths probably don't like being passed around like a newborn baby, either.
We learn a lot from the animal kingdom, and it turns out that fly larvae might hold the secret to super suction cups for humans. While superhero might be a stretch for this possible technology, it's definitely more powerful than suction cups as they stand. These little babies from Austria aren't even dislodged by river currents as they stick to rocks!
Goldfish just announced that they are launching two new flavors that are more plant-based in order to get more veggies into kids' diets. The flavors, cheesy tomato and sweet carrot, sound pretty good, but they don't actually replace vegetables. When you read more closely, they are meant to be a snack option that's just a bit better for you than regular Goldfish crackers. Hmmm...
As silly as it sounds, I'm in a Starbucks hack group on Facebook and people are always asking for more hacks for low-carb or low-sugar drinks. At first it irks me because we've all shared lots of hacks that can be easily searched for instead of re-posted, but I have to admit that there are always new ideas out there about how to order drinks that work for your dietary needs.
Who doesn't love an old-fashioned reading of "T'was the Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve? My family has a little picture book that we still read every year and as much as we love that nostalgia, I have to say that we also love the many parodies of the poem that people have come up with over the years.
Here at Frog Source, we all love frogs and we know what dangers they face in the modern world. Their species are declining at such a rapid rate that we're losing entrie populations before we can even blink. Scientists are doing their best to try and help these amphibians recover and avoid extinction, but we need more people to care about them and the ever-looming climate crisis that threatens not just them but us all.
Poland seems to be extremely anti-LGBTQ. It's so bad that the country has over 80 towns declaring themselves to be "LGBTQ-free zones," which pretty much translates to bigoted zones to many people around the globe. How is this still happening when 2020 approaches?
Many of us love to spend the holidays playing a bunch of games, whether they're old favorites or completely new-to-us games, and my family's already been playing a few fun ones this week, like Tsuro, always a favorite, and Fairy Tile, which is perfect for introducing littles to a hex tile style game (although the descriptions on the princess's cards left us wanting). I'm trying to plan some games that are really fun for the holidays in particular but aside from Christmas BINGO (which we totally have), what should we play?
A friend of mine brought over a cheesecake today and it was so kind that I had tears. She's one of the sweetest people alive and I want to return the favor! I know she likes cheesecake so I thought I'd make a fun holiday version but I can't decide which one.
As a comic lover, I have always thought that I would enjoy South Park, Family Guy, Futurama and other adult cartoons better as comics. This probably isn't a very popular opinion, and it's not like I expect them to all be transformed into written material, but I did run into some Family Guy books recently that I had no idea existed.
Did you know that in north-central Washington, more than 350 deer are struck by motorists along Highway 97? It's not only a terrible tragedy for these animals, but it's a danger to drivers, and Conservation Northwest has been working to make the road much safer.
The only reason we make nets is to kill, according to Dominick Martin-Mayes, the fisherman who came upon the chilling sight of hundreds of dead sharks and other marine life floating lifelessly in an enormous fishing net. The net certainly did its job and now it's breaking our hearts, demonstrating just what human carelessness can do.
When you're scouring the web for the perfect Deadhead gift, whether it's for someone special or yourself, sometimes it can be overwhelming. There are so many cool items added every day that it's difficult to narrow it down. Some of the most lovely Grateful Dead gems I found this week include:
This gorgeous engraved music box with an old-fashioned hand crank. I'm in love, how about you?
My heart is completely broken and it's all Stephen King's fault. It often is.
Ugly sweaters are all the rage, but I have to admit that I honestly just think they're adorable. I've seen so many for sale as "ugly sweaters," particularly in various fandoms, but thought they were too cute to be ugly. I've even thought a lot of DIY ones I've seen are really cute, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it doesn't take much to qualify! That's why these quick ideas are great for making a really fast, last-minute ugly sweater for your party. It's still a good idea to do this a day or two in advance when possible so your sweater can dry.
One of the best things about holidays, especially for foodies, is the variety of seasonal treats that become abundantly available. Sometimes these do run out fast, but just being able to snag one Peppermint Mocha Latte or seasonal holiday gummies (my favorites!) is often enough to get a bit of joy out of the seasonal offering.
While I haven't seen Cats yet, a friend sent me a bunch of reviews that show a widely mixed bag between critics, who largely despise the film so far, and audiences, who like but don't love it. The funny thing is that many people who hated it still actually had fun watching the movie, which is kind of baffling. If you liked it, shouldn't you rate it better? We're so focused on what's "good" that we forget that simply being enjoyable is "good," too.
Popular author J.K. Rowling is under fire this week for anti-trans tweets she's posted, and it turns out that this isn't even new behavior for the Harry Potter creator. Search and it's easy to find multiple incidences where Rowling has demonstrated similar anti-trans values that are heartbreaking for her community, to say the least.
Does your local botanitcal gardens host a Christmas in the Garden, Garden Glow or similar event? It is the ultimate holiday lights event for anyone who loves to see things illuminated in the dark. From Silverton, Oregon to St. Louis, Missouri, there are these types of events across the country taking place at this time of year.
Forget to get something for your secret Santa? Are the things you ordered not going to be here in time? Whatever your reason, we all have to buy gifts last-minute sometimes. To help you out, here are some ideas that you could buy today and give as gifts.
Gift cards. If you're brave enough to go to the store or you can find a shop that allows you to send e-gift cards (you can print them to have something physical if you like)--and many do!--this is a great last-minute item.
