My Z News

Golden Retrievers … can’t really say enough good things about them! One of the most popular breeds around the world, they are generally friendly and gentle, but also highly trainable. This show that the Southern Golden Retriever Society is putting on clearly demonstrates their ability to learn! Consisting of 16 pups and their handlers, the Display Team has spent the last 13 years choreographing and performing obedience routines like this one set to music. The team travels throughout the south of England showcasing their talented pups, sometimes to help raise money “in aid of local hospices and animal charities such as Guide Dogs for the Blind.” This particular video comes from their performance at Crufts in 2010. Crufts claims to be the world’s largest dog show and is certainly a renowned one; this year marks its 125th year in existence! While these pups clearly are talented performers, they’re not any different than Golden Retrievers who are just good, old family dogs. In fact, the dogs of the Display Team spend most of their time at home with their handlers. Any owner-pup duo could make the team, provided they meet a few criteria. They must be fully-paid members of the Southern Golden Retriever Society, be able to walk in time to a beat and have earned their Kennel Club Good Citizen Gold award or equivalent. Interested parties should be aware, though, that commitment is key; practices are held on a schedule whatever the weather. If you can practice through wind, rain and snow, then you’re sure to put on a perfect show! Read more: http://www.wimp.com/golden-retriever-precision-drill-display-team/

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Power lines are like A/C or the subway – we only notice them when they’re not working. They provide us the vital utility of electricity in our homes, businesses, and schools, yet we rarely think twice about them unless we go to switch on the lights or TV only to be met with nothing in response. Power lines are everywhere. In fact, I can look out my window right now and see a power line – probably the very same power line that’s making it possible for me to type these words on my laptop. For something that surrounds us almost everywhere we go, have you ever taken a moment to ask yourself how safe they are? Power lines are full of electrical power. They can range from anywhere between 1,000 volts in residential areas to 800 kilovolts for high power, long distance transmission. Everyone knows that we aren’t supposed to touch power lines, but what happens when two power lines touch each other? We’ve already seen what happens when a stray balloon runs into a power line, and, believe it or not, this is even cooler. What you’re seeing here is something called “arcing.” When two power lines get too close together, they begin conducting each other’s electrical current and a corona discharge can be seen forming between them. This appears to us as a bluish light and is a result of the ionization of the surrounding air. Keep your ears open for the humming and frying sounds that often accompany these events. For those of you wondering why the power lines are this close in the first place, one Reddit user pointed out that they are lacking rigid space dampers, which ensure the lines are kept far enough apart. While we certainly want everything to stay safe, power line arcing is a fascinating sight to see. H/T: SaeLow Read more: http://www.wimp.com/power-lines-touching-electricity/

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Most people are happy enough just being able to whistle one note, but Steve Wiles takes it to the next level by whistling two notes in perfect harmony. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/whistling-2-notes-at-once/

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Bees aren’t afraid to let you know exactly how they feel. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/what-happens-when-bees-dont-accept-their-new-queen/

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Basketball Cop, better known to his family and friends as Officer Bobby White (okay, maybe his family and friends just call him Bobby), made the news for the best reason possible. When he got the call to respond to a noise complaint and showed up to find the “noise” was simply kids playing basketball, he did what any rational human being would. He joined in and shot some hoops. Well, that attracted a few more kids to the game, and soon Officer White found himself a little outclassed. Bowing out gracefully, he promised to return, with “backup.” Neither Officer White nor the kids had any idea at the time just what kind of backup he’d be bringing with him. It turns out that after dashcam footage of the police officer went viral, none other than Shaquille O’Neal contacted the Gainesville Police Department, wanting to pay a special visit to those kids. The police department kept it a secret, at first taking even Officer White by surprise. He then returned to the kids, all smiles and with a ton of police in tow. At first the kids thought they were just going to get to take an entire police department to school on the court, but then Shaq stepped out, basically blowing everyone’s minds. As the public information officer for the department, Ben Tobias, said, “The takeaway here is these kids were out, not inside playing video games, getting exercise and having fun. As a society, we’ve gotten away from letting kids be kids.” It was his decision to keep Shaq’s visit a secret. He wanted to really show these kids that, despite the police showing up, there’s nothing wrong with a little basketball. We’re sure they’ll never forget that message. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/shaq-backup-police-kids-basketball-rematch/

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Living in a world of smartphones and video games it’s easy to get smug about how much better toys are today than in the past. Then you see something that changes your perception. Take this 200-year-old toy from Switzerland for example. At first, you think it’s just a music box, but when it opens you’ll discover a stunningly beautiful feat of engineering. We have no idea how they got such a complicated machine in such a small package, or how they replicated those bird sounds, but this piece belongs in a museum. We have Angry Birds; they had works of art. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/200-year-old-childrens-toy-from-switzerland/

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No matter who wins, it’s sure to be adorable. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/puppy-vs-pumpkin/

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They could probably deliver it faster than it would take you to microwave some “Cup Noodles” in your own home! Read more: http://www.wimp.com/fastest-ramen-delivery-in-japan/

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Artists often take a mundane, everyday object and transform it into something fresh, new and surprising. Academy Award-nominated animator and director, Adam Pesapane, better known as PES, does just that with each film. His most recent animated short, “Submarine Sandwich” is set in a slightly rundown neighborhood deli, most likely born out of a long-forgotten childhood memory. It’s captivating to watch as the sandwich comes to life. A ham becomes an overstuffed football sliced into sew-on patches and a purple slinky (or are they metal bangles?) turns into “onions.” This humorous, well-crafted stop motion takes the viewer into a rabbit hole, and leaves you wanting just a little bit more. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/pes-stop-motion-animated-submarine-sandwich/

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Advertisement Do you hear that? It’s the sound of America waking up from hibernation. Football season is here. The sport that everyone loves, or at least pretends to love during Super Bowl parties, is back and promises another six months of excitement, heartache, and emotional outbursts from adults who sometimes may need a gentle reminder that it’s just a game.  To celebrate, we dug through our archives to find our favorite football moments of the viral video age. Whether you’re a hardcore fan or someone who can’t tell Tom Brady for Greg Brady, these videos are sure to get you excited for the return of America’s favorite sport. So buckle your chin strap, pour out some Gatorade and get ready for a pigskin-themed trip through the Wimp archives.  Marching Band Forms Giant Football Player – December 11, 2010  Football fans love tradition and pageantry, and nothing embodies that more than marching bands. They are what make going to games worth it. Even if your team is struggling, you can always count on the marching band to be on point. The halftime battle of the bands is often just as exciting as the game itself and usually features less injuries. I would hate to be the band to follow this performance.  Advertisement Canadian Football: The Most Bizarre Ending To A Football Game – November 2, 2010 We love Canada. They’ve brought so much culture and positive energy into the world. That being said, Canadian football is just plain weird. It looks like the sport we are used to but then there are three punts in a single play and no one has any idea of what is happening. Even the announcers seem to only be guessing at what the rules are. Maybe there are no rules. Who knows?  Dad’s Reaction To Getting A Ticket To The Game – December 26, 2012  Advertisement When all the yelling and touchdowns are over, it’s moments like this that make the sport great. This father and University of Alabama fan is completely overcome with emotion when his son surprises him with two tickets to the National Championship game. With all the strife and disagreement that exists in society today, we are guaranteed that for a few hours every weekend in the fall, thousands of people from every possible background will come together to root for a single team. Unity like that is pretty rare these days. Do you have a favorite video from the past? Let us know in the comments and make sure to join us every Thursday as we continue to dig deeper into our archives and explore the world of Wimp. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/throwback-thursday-are-you-ready-for-some-football/

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