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1. Snoop Dog in the role of Unofficial Olympics mascot

This is my new mental image of Snoop. Forevermore. The now infamous video of him freestyle-rapping to one of the horse and dancing with it? I live for it! One of the best parts of the Olympics was Snoop and his undeniable joy at experiencing each and every moment. Not to mention all of his outfits. The article linked below has many more photos of Snoop in all his glory, so check it out. I loved it!
Bonus points: Sitting with Martha Stewart in their matching equestrian outfits. I am a huge Martha-Snoop stan. Their friendship gives me hope. Two people from totally different worlds coming together. Goals.
Photo: Sky News
2. Moo Deng: the adorable bouncing pork baby

Arguably Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s most famous resident, Moo Deng was born just this summer. And in the months since, she’s become a worldwide sensation with that adorable little face and huggle body. People can’t get enough of her. You can see tons of videos of her on the zoo’s YouTube channel and watch live feeds of her on the Zoodio Thailand YouTube channel.
Photo: Today
3. the discovery of an ancient city

Previously hidden by dense vegetation, it is the oldest city discovered thus far within the Amazon. It’s an important discovery that changes what was previously believed about the history of the cultures that lived within the area. It was always thought that most were nomadic, or living in very small settlements. However, this city is huge, proving that Amazon people lived in urban areas, not in the more primitive ways that were assumed prior to uncovering this site. Archaeologists believe the city was built roughly 2,500 years ago, housing people for at least 1,000 years. While it is difficult for them to ascertain the population, they believe it could be anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 at any given time.
Photo: Stephan Rostain/BBC
4. Elmo becomes the therapist we all needed.

Elmo posted an innocent check-in on social media… “How is everybody doing?” The respose was instant and overwhelming. Conversations began all over social media, with people of all ages letting it all out. It got so intense that the Sesame Street social team began posting mental health resources. It was a beautiful thing to see, so kudos to the social media team for embracing the moment and engaging with those who needed it.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Headspace via NPR
5. Pesto the puffy penguin

Moo Deng might have taken the spotlight, but we can’t forget Pesto! He is a king penguin who lives at the Melbourne, Australia zoo with his adoptive parents, Hudson and Tango. By 9 months old, he weighed 22 kilograms, more than his parents’ weights… combined. He has the distinction of being the heaviest penguin chick the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium has ever had. But eventually, the baby fluff will melt away, leaving him as sleek as his family and friends… and still just as adorable.
Photo: Independent UK
6. groundbreaking cat science

Two independent studies conducted by American and Japanese scientists have looked into the genetic origins of orange cats. The furry tangerines have a long-standing reputation for being rambunctious, often batty, little creatures. But it is the mystery of their distinctive coats that was the basis of these studies. Apparently, cats differ from other mammals in how they get their orangey fur.
In most mammals, it’s a mutation in the Mc1r protein that leads to the color. But this isn’t the case for cats. Instead, both studies concluded that the answer lies in a genetic variation of a different protein on their X chromosomes, in a miniscule deletion in the cats’ DNA. The Arhgap36 protein was never previously studied in relation to the “orange gene” because it controls various parts of embryonic development. Scientists believed that any major mutations to that gene would be fatal to the animal. But the studies showed that this protein in orange cats resulted in 13 times more RNA (the molecules that help turn DNA into proteins that are usable by the body) than in other cats. The scientists realized that the increased amount of this protein in the skin cells that produce color is the reason why we have orange cats!
Photo: oxygen via Getty Images via Smithsonian Magazine
7. Haggis the hippo

Moo Deng isn’t the only cute hippo. Meet Haggis, an endangered pygmy hippo born in October at the Edinburgh Zoo. Haggis lives with his mom and Dad, Otto and Gloria. The zoo has created a special trail for them, and their animal friends, throughout their zoo, full of animal-themed trivia.
You can keep up on all things Haggis here.
Photo: Edinburgh Zoo
8. the sultan of Slowjamastan visits DC… in earnest

Chances are you’ve never heard of this micronation. Well, it exsists on 11 acres of land in the desert in Imperial County, California. The leader, Sultan Randy Williams, a radio DJ, founded the micronation in December of 2021, claiming independence. He traveled to DC for the 2024 NATO Summit with the goal of speaking with world leaders about his nation. I’m gonna guess he was unsuccessful.
Perhaps this is because one of the major laws within Slowjamistan is the outlawing of Crocs shows. It’s an issue that the Sultan is rather intense about!
Photo: Republic of Slowjamastan
9. 3-minute hugs… or else

The Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has instituted this new rule for its free drop-off zone, intending it to keep traffic moving. The rule was met both outrage and amazement at the fact that the airport even had a free zone in a time of rising fees and fines at airports. The outrage was, however, intense, many angry that the airport would put a time limit on farewells. But the CEO of the airport justified the new rule by referring to a study that suggests a 20-second hug is sufficient to get the burst of oxytocin known as the love hormone.
Photo: Dunedin Airport via CNN
10. it’s important to stay flexible.

For a heist. Yes, that’s right. This woman was caught on camera doing yoga on the sidewalk in front of the bakery she broke into and stole an iPad, shoes, and some baked goods. And, yes, she was caught.
Far be it from me to judge, but I feel like this was some poor planning.
Photo: KKTV
11. professional wedding crasher
In Spain, Ernesto Reinares Varea went viral after establishing himself as a professional wedding crasher. It started as a joke, but it quickly became legitimate with bookings extending months into the future. He charges around $550USD to crash a wedding before the vows are completed, usually hired by brides who are desperate to get out of the marriage. His ad reads…
“You just need to tell me the time, place, and date,” the ad continued. “I will appear in the middle of the ceremony saying that I am the great love of your life and we will run away together hand in hand.”
12. naked dueling

Yes, it happened. In Venice Beach, California. Apparently, the naked woman swung first with her spiked bat, causing the clothed woman to retrieve her own spiked bat from behind a nearby garbage can. At some point during the duel, the clothed woman, for some ridiculous, threw her bat at the naked woman who grabbed it and than dual-wielded them for a little while before turning around and leaving, both weapons in hand as she strolled down the beach.
Witnesses noted that the naked woman is nothing new for the area, often appearing in the nude along the strip. And weirdly, no one reported the incident!
Photo: Fox News LA
13. Operation Bear Claw

This was the weirdest instance of insurance fraud I’ve ever heard of!
Four LA people claimed a bear had gotten into their vehicles and subsequently damaged them. According to the claims, made to different compainies, bears had damaged a Rolls-Royce Ghost, as well as a Mercedes E350 and a Mercedes G63 AMG. All the claims gave the same date and location of the incident, albeit to three different cars.
Turns out it was a person in a bear suit, as seen in surveillance video. Too bad for the perps that law enforcement who brought in a bear expert who quickly discovered the ruse. Apparently, the “damage” didn’t match what a real bear would do, nor did the “bear” leave behind the usual traces of urine, saliva, and fur a real one would.
Photo: The Sun
Wild stuff! I don’t know what to believe these days. I checked out the Sultan of Slowjamistan, which sounds like something from The Onion, and the naked lady fight, both true!
I thought that orange cats were bred to be orange centuries ago. But I heard that a while ago, so new discoveries could have been made since then. I wonder how many other cities were swallowed up by the jungle. The naked woman fight and the bear thing were both covered by my local news, so while weird, yup, they happened.
Wow. Crazy stuff. We don’t need humans to imitate bears around here; they break into vehicles all the time, especially if you’ve just brought home a pizza and the smell lingers in the car!
I didn’t hear a lot of these. Shows how much I’ve been keeping up!
Interesting about orange tabby cats. Did you know female orange tabbies are rare?
oh…loved, loved this list of 13, and don’t know which of them i loved the most.. maybe the animals (not the bear one though)… learned so much fun stuff here to share in the next meetup with friends
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