My Z News

Dog With 2 Noses Finds Home In The Nick Of Time

It’s an awful truth of the world that beauty goes a long way in anyone’s success. That includes shelter dogs trying to get adopted. Toby was a shelter dog whose time was nearly up. He was about to be given up to a certain death at the hands of the local animal shelter. The rescue that was caring for him couldn’t seem to get him adopted out to a forever home. Thankfully, beauty is also in the eyes of the beholder, and to a man named Todd Ray, the strange, rare, and unusual is beautiful. He spotted Toby and instantly fell for the loveable Australian Shepherd. Toby was just a happy, healthy dog with an unusual nose, looking for a home. Thankfully, Todd Ross, who owns the Venice Beach Freakshow, doesn’t judge people or dogs by their appearance. Instead, he seeks to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness. In the video for his introduction of Toby as his new best friend, Todd jokes that Toby’s nose comes in handy when he’s searching for his ball. Watch and see, this is one dog who, thanks to an owner who loves him unconditionally, doesn’t even know he’s a little bit different. We’re sure that Todd and Toby are going to have many happy, frolicking, freaky days together, on the beach and off. This is not just a heartwarming story, but an important lesson to everyone. Nobody’s perfect. Everybody’s different, everybody’s got their quirks, and if you can look past those tiny variances or imperfections, you can find a beautiful, wonderful person behind them. Or a beautiful, wonderful dog. Seek joy, seek happiness. Don’t seek perfection. H/T: Todd Ray Read more: http://www.wimp.com/dog-with-two-noses-adopted/

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Former Child Actress Shows Off Her True Passion On “The Voice”

For as many former child stars as there are still in the limelight today (sometimes it seems like practically all celebrities at this point!), there are a ton of young actors who decide not to pursue that career path after a taste of fame. Ferguson, the nerdy, know-it-all brother from Clarissa Explains It All, for example, perhaps unsurprisingly became a software engineer (still working in the entertainment industry; last we heard he was at HBO). Not everyone is so easy to predict, however. Charlie Korsmo, a child actor whose career highlights include “The Kid” in Dick Tracy, Siggy in What About Bob?, and of course, Jack Banning in Hook, went from adorable child star to libertarian political operative. A Professor of law with a degree from Yale, he is currently working at Case Western and has also been appointed a board member with the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Not every child actor goes on to further stardom or a career in computer science or law (although law degrees do seem quite common amongst former child stars); some don’t leave the spotlight by choice or fall prey to the temptations Hollywood offers. Alisan Porter stopped acting in films in 1991, but she didn’t necessarily give up the wild lifestyle of the Hollywood star. The Curly Sue starlet had always been enamored with singing, and she’s a talented dancer too; her family runs a school for it, so that’s almost expected. But she was determined to make it to Broadway. And she did! She appeared in Footloose: The Musical. She also began to feel the weight of the lifestyle. Alcohol was controlling her every move, and it was boxing her in. Within a short period of time she was married, sober, and the proud mother of two darling children. And now, she’s ready to take on The Voice, but this time, it’s on her terms. H/T: Toofab Read more: http://www.wimp.com/curly-sue-is-back-not-curly-and-owning-her-voice-audition/

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Tennis pro Roger Federer defeated by a kid

One of the things that makes tennis such a great sport is the strong relationships that pros have with their fans. Watch as Grigor Dimitrov pulls a kid from the crowd to help him take on Roger Federer. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/tennis-pro-roger-federer-defeated-by-a-kid/

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Japanese Factory Makes Plastic Food That Looks Tantalizingly Real

I’ll admit that when it comes to food, I can be a little snobby sometimes. It’s not that I only want caviar and champagne, because I’ll totally get down on a well-made bowl of Ramen noodles too. I’m a snob in the sense that my food has to be made right and ideally it has to be made using good ingredients. If I make sloppy joes, I’m the kinda guy that’ll get really high-quality ground beef and add my own special blend of carefully selected seasonings. One of the things that I always look for when I’m food shopping is buying things that are organic and all-natural. I don’t like fake, processed food. It tastes gross and my body honestly disagrees with it. Imitation cheese product? No thanks, I’ll pay a few extra dollars for some real Wisconsin cheddar (would that be cheddar for cheddar? You decide!). Ask me about “fake” food and I could launch into a long diatribe about its evils and the policy changes we need to enact to fix it. There is, however, one type of fake food that I have a genuine admiration for – the plastic display dishes used in many Asian restaurants to show customers what the dish looks like. These plastic replicas are everywhere in Japan, and have also spread to China and Korea. Here in the U.S., you may have seen them one of these establishments in your neighborhood (my local Taiwanese place has them).  These fake display foods are known as “sampuru” in Japan, which is just a local pronunciation of the English word, “sample.” While they were once made from wax, these days plastic is the most commonly used material. Food artists take great pains to ensure authenticity, and many of the “ingredients” in a dish are even chopped and combined the same way as they would if they were real items of food. Each dish is even tailored to the restaurant which ordered it, with even common items like ramen being customized to match that specific restaurant’s dish. The fake food industry in Japan is fairly lucrative too – recreating an individual restaurant’s full menu can cost around 1 million yen (roughly $9,000).  H/T: Great Big Story Read more: http://www.wimp.com/japanese-factory-makes-plastic-food-that-looks-so-real/

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Why you can’t trust your dog to go shopping

Dogs are good at a lot of things – cuddling, playing fetch, and being adorable to name a few. Going shopping, on the other hand? That’s a different story… Read more: http://www.wimp.com/why-you-cant-trust-your-dog-to-go-shopping/

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Polish beatboxing

The Polish language is a Slavic language spoken by roughly 55 million people worldwide. Its complex consonant structure also happens to make it perfect for beatboxing. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/polish-beatboxing/

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This is how pop-up books are made

Pop-up books are often seen as being only for children, but Matthew Reinhart brings an extra level of craftsmanship and artistry to his work that anyone can enjoy. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/this-is-how-pop-up-books-are-made/

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Man reunites with his mother after 10 years

What’s the longest you’ve gone without seeing your mom? A week? A month? A year? Jeffrey went 10 years without seeing his mother, and their reunion couldn’t be sweeter. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/man-reunites-with-his-mother-after-10-years/

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These 18 Cars Are No Match For This Master Roller Skater

In America, we like our stunts big and loud. We want someone to do three backflips off of an aircraft carrier while fireworks explode behind them. After a while, though, all those big stunts start to get a little … predictable. People can only jump from great heights and flip around so many times before it all becomes boring. This is why we’re thankful to see a stunt that feels completely original compared to the “X Games” fare we’re used to receiving in the States. When this girl from China sees 18 cars lined up in a row, she decides to get around the obstacle in a way that’s far more creative than simply jumping over it. This stunt can be called many things, but predictable isn’t one of them. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/chinese-girl-roller-skates-under-cars/

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