Rich and Laura Howard were vacationing in La Paz, Mexico, for their 20th wedding anniversary. When they went out on a diving trip, they got the surprise of a lifetime (and a priceless anniversary gift). A pod of 20 Orcas started surfing behind their small dive boat. The massive killer whales started following the fast moving boat, jumping, flipping and playing in the boat’s wake, giving this couple celebrating their 20 years of love a memory that will last a lifetime. (Source: RichardMHoward – You can find their site here: Oceans Of Images Photography) I like to imagine the Orcas are telling each other “Omgosh! If you jump up you can see totally them! They’re looking right at us! I’ve never seen one so close before!” Share this amazing sight with your friends and family below. Read more: http://viralnova.com/orcas-boat/
As much as we love our furry friends, everyone needs a break every once in a while. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/bulldog-reacts-to-owner-telling-him-no/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTBT_ATF’); }); Bob Dylan’s lyrical prowess has never been kept secret or overlooked, and the Nobel Committee just honored the prolific singer-songwriter with the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. While the win has kicked up some controversy in literary circles, it’s easy to argue that Dylan’s songwriting stands at the helm of his success. Very few artists adjust to the ebb and flow of musical tides quite like he’s done since the early ’60s. Fewer still pen lines that never lose their consequence or relevance in changing times. His strange, relentless cadence is instantly recognizable. His iconic tracks continue to fill coffee shops, ride on radio waves, and fly in the face of generational difference. But sometimes, mastery is found in the last place you’d think to look. To honor his Nobel Prize win, let’s leave no stone unturned. Here are six Bob Dylan songs made famous by other artists. 1. “Wagon Wheel” — Old Crow Medicine Show Dylan wrote what is now the chorus of this country-tinged favorite and ultimately scrapped it. Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show built it out with verses and released the final version of the track in 2013. 2. “The Mighty Quinn” — Manfred Mann Dyan wrote and recorded “The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)” in 1967. The following year, Manfred Mann released a cover that charted well in the United Kingdom. In 1970, the original version was added to Dylan’s “Self Portrait.” 3. “All Along the Watchtower” — Jimi Hendrix googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCI1_BTF’); }); Although Dylan’s original version is one of his most beloved songs, Jimi Hendrix gave it new life with his cover, which made it onto the guitar legend’s 1968 “Electric Ladyland.” 4. “Make You Feel My Love” — Adele Fans go crazy when vocal powerhouse Adele performs her rendition of “Make You Feel My Love,” but she always gives Bob Dylan due credit. He wrote the song in 1997. 5. “Love is Just a Four Letter Word” — Joan Baez Baez effectively helped Dylan get his career off the ground in the ’60s by covering his work, but this cover of “Love is Just a Four Letter Word” gained the most traction in 1968. 6. “Mr. Tambourine Man” — The Byrds While it’s one of Bob Dylan’s most popular songs, the track didn’t make it to number one on the charts until The Byrds covered it. That being said, both versions did receive Grammys. Read More: You’ve Heard These 10 Smash Hits, But Did You Know That Prince Brought Them To Life? To learn more about Bob Dylan’s historic win, you can read this announcement from the New York Times. (via Mic) Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/bob-dylan-nobel-prize/
They say an elephant never forgets, and this video proves that’s especially true when it comes to the pachyderm’s friends. Kham Laa is a young elephant who was rescued and reunited with her family at a Thai elephant sanctuary. Since then, she’s become quite fond of one of the reservation’s employees, Darrick, who treated her so kindly when she first came. Clearly, she wants to return the favor as much as she can. Watch what happens when Darrick comes by for a visit! It seems even Kham Laa’s mother is appreciative of her daughter’s new buddy, and why wouldn’t she be? Look at all the fun they’re having! Kham Laa and her family are currently part of the Save Elephant Foundation in Thailand. To learn more about the project, visit their website here. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/kham-laa/
Spike Lee is hopping on the Kickstarter bandwagon to finance his next film. Following the likes of Scrubs star Zach Braff and the creators of Veronica Mars, the acclaimed director is developing an untitled project that will look at humans addicted to blood. Lee calls it “funny, sexy and bloody (and it’s not ‘Blacula’).” “It’s a very different climate now, and the only way to ensure, as an independent filmmaker, that your vision gets on screen, is when you bring the money to the table,” he says in the video, above. On his Kickstarter page, Lee addresses the “faithful” with a long, persuasive letter that describes his love for filmmaking, as well as the troubles that come along with it. “The catch is Filmmaking is an Artform that costs M-O-N-E-Y,” he writes, throwing standard writing conventions out the window. “That is why I’m appealing to the Kindness in your Hearts, to the Faithful who have given me the much needed Love and Support over my 3 decades of Spike Lee Joints.” Present-day Hollywood does not support independent filmmakers, Lee says, adding that the studio-system model discourages creative liberty: I’m not hating, just stating the facts. Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming is not my Thang. To me it’s not just that these Films are being made but it seems like these are the only films getting made. To The Studios it seems like every Film must be a Home run on a Global scale, a Tent Pole Enterprise, able to spin off Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel. I have a different vision of what Cinema can be, a different vision of what some under-served Audiences might want to see. Lee vows — “on my Mother’s Grave and Right Hand to the Almighty” — that every donated dollar will go towards funding the film and not into his pocket. He’s also promising some pretty enticing rewards as incentives to support the project, including autographed items and thank-you tweets. At the time of writing, Lee’s campaign just surpassed the $100,000 mark; he has 28 days left to raise his entire goal of $1.25 million or receive nothing. The filmmaker, renowned for such iconic flicks as Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing, is also getting ready to debut his latest project, Oldboy, a remake of the 2003 Korean thriller of the same name. Will you support Lee? Tell us in the comments, below. Image: Al Bello/Getty Images Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/07/23/spike-lee-kickstarter/
Don’t look for any help on net neutrality here.Image: Khue Bui/Associated Press Alternate headline: powerless bill doomed to fail. Two Democratic members of Congress — Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Rep. Doris Matsui of California — will propose legislation that will push the Federal Communications Commission to do whatever it can to ensure net neutrality, according to The Washington Post. The proposal comes amid the growing realization that the laws Congress has enacted may be too narrow to provide for net neutrality, forcing the FCC to plod forward in hopes that it can write regulation that keeps the Internet a level playing field while staying within the legal bounds it has already twice exceeded. The bill gives no new power to the FCC, instead adding only political support. It will likely die in the Republican-led House of Representatives. Net neutrality and the FCC are both already highly politicized. The two Republican FCC commissioners voted against opening comment on the commission’s recently proposed net neutrality rules, and GOP politicians have warned they will try to thwart new regulation seen as overly intrusive. Keep in mind, the FCC enforces rules written by Congress. Congress theoretically could pass a bill giving new, legitimate power to the FCC to enforce net neutrality. Instead, Democrats are writing a bill that would essentially cheerlead the commission, and it will likely never see a vote. As President Barack Obama recently noted, the current slate of legislators is on track to be the least productive Congress in modern history with 23 public laws adopted in its second session. The idea that politicians, whose job it is to propose new laws to be enforced by regulators like the FCC, would pen such a toothless bill, coupled with the reality that it almost certainly won’t pass, highlights just how broken the system is. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/06/17/democrats-net-neutrality-congress/
The unlucky guy who captured this bizarre footage will definitely never forget what he saw. While visiting what appeared to be a beautiful, serene cemetery, the cameraman in question decided to head out through a passageway that led to a beautiful view of the sea. When he panned to the left, however, he saw what looked like a trash heap full of coffins. The worst part? There were human bones scattered on the ground. I’m not familiar with the ways in which you should dispose of bodies, but I feel like throwing corpse-filled coffins into a giant pile probably isn’t the most respectful course of action. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/graveyard-garbage/
Let’s cut to the chase here: Standing just five feet five inches, Porter Mayberry is closer in height to Peter Dinklage than to the average NBA star. But that doesn’t stop the 22-year-old from throwing down some pro-quality slam dunks. One-handed, two-handed, forward, backward, off the bounce — Mayberry’s dunks have to be seen to be believed. Luckily the video above, freshly uploaded to YouTube Tuesday afternoon, lets you do just that. And if this doesn’t satisfy your basketball jones, check out our recent post on Lilliputian high school sensation Aquille Carr, whose latest highlight reel has gone viral online with more than 1.5 million views in about a month. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/25/whats-gravity-slam-dunks/
Long before the iPod era, cassette tapes were all the rage. The ability to enjoy Hall & Oates while strutting the sidewalk in your new acid-washed jean jacket was nothing short of revolutionary. Now, obviously, that time has passed. M-I-E, an animation and design studio, created a video that pays special tribute to the cassette tape — both its life and eventual demise. The awesomely stylish video, titled “Jammed,” was made entirely using stop-motion and 3D techniques. It follows a View-Master-headed robot as it attempts to clean up an apocalyptic world taken over by tangled, cassette magnetic tape. Watch it for yourself above. Do you, or anyone you know, still kick it old school with cassette tapes? Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/27/cassette-video/
Babysitting isn’t for everybody. I often babysit my younger cousins while their parents work third shift, and as much as I love them dearly, I’ll be the first to admit that they can drive me absolutely crazy. And as I’m sure you well know if you have or babysit kids, a moment of silence is a an absolute blessing if you can find one. That said, we put up with their nonsense because they’re just little ones and they’re still learning how to, you know, behave like humans. The same can’t be said for two teens from Massachusetts. A 15-year-old and her friend were tasked with watching an eight-month-old child, who happened to be the 15-year-old’s cousin, while the baby’s mother hopped in the shower. While the mom was away, the teens recorded a Snapchat video of them putting the screaming, terrified baby in a refrigerator and shutting the door. The two now face criminal charges including child endangerment, assault, and battery with a dangerous weapon. The child’s mom was totally oblivious of the incident until police showed up at her door. The teens gave the mom a story about reaching into the fridge for a bottle to stop the baby from crying, but they later changed their story and said they thought it’d be a funny prank. You can see the footage below. The mother does not believe that her niece and her friend meant the child harm. She does not believe that they should have been charged. (Via CBS Boston) Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/refrigerator-baby/
