My Z News

They say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. This saying has been around forever, and basically just means that in any bad situation, you should always try to make the best of it. Over the years, there have been many variations to this saying, one of my favorites versions being from Phil Dunphy on ABC’s Modern Family, who says, “When life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all like ‘whaaa?!?!’”  In this video by the NorthSurvival YouTube channel, we find a brand new twist on that old saying: when life gives you lemons, make a fire. Yes, you read it right the first time. If you’re raising an eyebrow up right now and thinking, “Well, I always knew he was weird, but I think Mr. Arch has finally gone off the deep end,” I assure you that I’m fine, and I reacted similarly when I first saw this video too.  All it takes is a couple of zinc and copper nails, a lemon, some wire, some steel wool, and a little kindling material (this video used toilet paper). First, you create a row of copper nails, and then another row of zinc nails about half an inch away from the copper row. Next, you simply connect wires between the nails to start a chemical reaction. Using a wire on the end nails to create a positive and a negative end, you’ve just created a five-volt battery! All that’s left is to touch the positive and negative wires to steel wool to complete the circuit and heat up the wool. Once it sparks, throw on your kindling and you’ll have a toasty fire in no time. H/T: NorthSurvival Read more: http://www.wimp.com/when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-fire/

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If you’re like most of us, you love the sight of little chipmunks scurrying back and forth. Something about their tiny nature just makes us enjoy their antics. Maybe it’s ingrained in those of us who grew up expecting some sort of shenanigans from the likes of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. Whatever the case, it’s easy to forget these little guys can turn out to be pests. If you enjoy feeding the birds in your own backyard, then you know the list of pests you are up against. Squirrels are the most notorious. They are known to pull down feeders, chew on them, pollute the bird bath, and that’s not even accounting for all the food they eat before the birds even get a chance. Mice can also be a problem if the feed is not stored properly. Generally, chipmunks do not present themselves as competition for the bird’s dinner, but, if there’s an opportunity, these little guys will exploit it just like the rest. When it comes to behavior, if you’ve encountered a squirrel in your backyard, you may well use the term, “brazen.” They will likely act as though it is their yard, and continue eating whatever they like, despite your best efforts. Then, we’re back to the chipmunks. Their actions, observed by most of us, would likely earn a minor reprimand, as given by this backyard enthusiast. The reaction here, though, is priceless … Be sure to SHARE this amusing video with your friends. H/T: fjwjr Read more: http://www.wimp.com/chipmunk-gets-caught-stealing-red-handed/

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When you think of wrestlers, you probably think of huge muscle men in testosterone filled rages. One thing you don’t think of is Madonna. But the Scottish wrestler Grado is trying to change that. Grado competes in the Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) and has become famous for playing Madonna’s hit song “Like A Prayer” when he enters, and this massive crowd is there to join in. As soon as the song starts, the entire arena begins to sing along, and if it weren’t for the wrestling mat at center stage, you would think you’re at a Madonna concert. That’s one way to intimidate your opponent. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/wrestler-enters-ring-to-madonna-like-a-prayer/

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It shouldn’t shock anyone to hear that plastic pollution in bodies of water all over the world is a big problem. The environmental impact of the amount of plastic that finds its way out to sea or ocean has been a concern for years. Sadly, however, even after preventative measures and recycling systems have been put in place in some countries, non-biodegradable plastic continues to accumulate. The amount of plastic in the water is so extensive that, in 2006, it was estimated that every square mile of ocean contained around 46,000 pieces of plastic. In addition, there are five gyres where large “garbage patches” reside; the one in the north Pacific alone is twice the size of Texas. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/seabins-invention-clean-ocean-plastic-turton-ceglinksi/

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All these years we’ve been trying to figure out why the chicken crossed the road, but now we have an even more pressing question – why did the chicken roost on the horse’s head? On February 7, Nancy Elwood, of Elk City, Oklahoma, went to check on her horses when she was confronted with a bizarre sight. There, on her horse Rocky’s head sat Chickaleta the chicken. Neither animal seemed to find their situation unusual; in fact, both seemed quite content. Nancy knew no one would ever believe her story, but luckily she had her cell phone in her pocket. After taking the video she uploaded it to Facebook, where it’s received over 2.1 million views in just three days. If there was ever a video with all the makings of a viral hit, this is it! But, back to that chicken. What was he doing on Rocky’s head? For those of us who haven’t spent much time on the farm, what Chickaleta was doing is known as “roosting.” By instinct, chickens seek out a high, safe place to “roost,” or in other words, sleep. They often sleep in a group for warmth and protection, which speaks volumes about the kind of friendship these two creatures have. Clearly Chickaleta finds her friend Rocky’s head to be a nice, safe spot for a rest. We’re just glad we got to witness this hilarious sight.  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/chicken-horse-head-barn-rocky-chickaleta/

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Have you ever looked back at a classic Disney film and wondered how they managed to create such realistic movements from their human characters? Today animators use computers and motion capture suits to build magical worlds, but in 1951 when Alice in Wonderland was made such technology didn’t exist. Disney had a clever way to work around this limitation, however. They just used live actors.  Meet Kathryn Beaumont or, as you’ve known her before, Alice.  When Beaumont was a little girl, she was hired to play the part of Alice in the animated film. She shot the entire movie on a soundstage, and then animators used her performance as a reference when they were drawing the final film you saw on the screen. This video shows you Beaumont’s previously unseen performance during the making of Alice in Wonderland. It’s a shame she never got a chance to play Alice properly on the big screen, but at least we can celebrate her performance now after all these years.  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/meet-alice-in-wonderland/

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So, if you’re like most of the world right now, you’ve probably seen the new Star Wars film, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. If you did, you might have noticed something different about the lightsabers in the film, or at least their effect on the environment and the actors. While in previous Star Wars movies, the glowing laser swords were simply metal, plastic or wooden sticks that then received a special effects makeover after filming, the lightsabers in the new film were actually customized versions of the commercially available “ForceFX” line of replica lightsabers. That’s right, this movie borrowed something a fan invented to make the experience that much better. Is there any other movie prop that evokes such a following? We can’t think of one. The major advantage is in the lighted blade. By glowing blue or red, just like the “real” thing in the movie, these lightsabers actually helped to light the scene, casting a glow on everything in the exact way they would if had they been actual searing beams of pure energy. Not only did this add a bit of realism to The Force Awakens’ intense and gritty saber duels, it also just looked really, really cool. But honestly those ForceFX lightsabers are nothing compared to the set of custom-built ones from Graflex Saber. Built using actual vintage camera tube flashes just like the originals, and containing an incredibly detailed interior body, replete with “focusing crystal” (an actual real crystal!), these two lightsabers represent the ultimate in fan dedication. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/fan-made-lightsaber-might-better-real-one/

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When we’re young, we want to grow up to be just like our heroes. A little boy playing peewee football might pretend he’s Peyton Manning in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl. A little girl might pretend she’s an astronaut as she bounces around her backyard, pretending to be in the low gravity of space. Whatever you want to be when you grow up, it’s only natural to do whatever it takes to look and act just like them. Take this little boy standing on the sidelines during halftime at a football game. All he wants to do is be out there on the field with the color guard as they dance to the marching band’s music. Instead, at 3-years-old, this little guy is forced to watch from a distance. Or is he? Color guards go hand-in-hand with marching bands or drum corps. As the band plays, these highly talented individuals dance and move to the beat of the music, interpreting it for the crowd’s entertainment. They spin flags, rifles and sabres, along with a variety of other props to enhance their performance. Color guards are also a part of marching band or drum corps competitions, and contribute to the group’s final overall score. Even though he’s younger than the rest of the color guard, this little guy isn’t wasting any time chasing his dreams. Does he have what it takes to join the rest of the group? You’ll have to see for yourself … Read more: http://www.wimp.com/3-year-old-halftime-performance-maximus/

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Anthony Ruelas broke the rules, but sometimes that’s what it takes to save a life. If someone rescues another person from danger, it’s safe to assume that they will receive recognition for their good deed, a pat on the back at the very least – something that says “thank you” for what they just did. When 15-year-old Anthony noticed his classmate was having an asthma attack that could turn fatal, he disobeyed his teacher’s orders and rushed her to the nurse’s office without a moment’s hesitation. But, instead of thanking him, the school responded in a way that shocked everyone: suspension. Anthony’s mother will be the first to tell you that her son is far from perfect, but even she thinks his punishment was uncalled for. “He may not follow instructions all the time, but he does have a great heart,” she told reporters. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a school that isn’t willing to bend the rules under special circumstances. Take, for example, this school that refused to acknowledge an educational family trip as an excused absence.  Regardless of whether or not you agree with the school’s decision to suspend Anthony, there’s no denying that he was acting with a clear heart and good intentions. And so was his teacher. Public school teachers are trained to report the situation and keep the body in place until proper help arrives. Unfortunately, we’ll never know which course of action was the correct one in this situation. The asthmatic student might have been fine for another hour or two, but then again … maybe not. In years past, asthma has been responsible for thousands of deaths in the U.S., so we understand why Anthony felt like he needed to act fast. Does this mean that everyone should start running around trying to be a hero? No. Does this mean the most helpful thing to do is always within the rules and guidelines? We’ll let you decide that for yourself. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/student-suspended-for-saving-classmate-anthony-ruelas/

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Zellige is the art form of crafting terra-cotta tiles embedded with chips of colored ceramic to make beautiful and elaborate mosaics. This intricate tilework of geometric patterns is then used to decorate everything from walls to fountains to floors and even pools. As simple as the art may seem, creating each piece requires craftsmen specializing in different aspects of production.  This video shows all of the tiny, yet important, steps that go into the final product of a Zellige piece. What starts as simple clay blocks eventually blossoms into remarkable works of art. It’s a solid reminder that the simple things we take for granted every day are often the product of someone else’s hard work.  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/zellige-tile-art/

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