Retired veteran Chad Flemming served two tours of duty in Iraq where, like many military vets, he unfortunately suffered both physical and emotional wounds. Anxiety and PTSD followed him home along with his injured leg. The stress can sometimes feel overwhelming for individuals in his circumstance, but recently he was happy to find someone who really understood his pain. His new best friend helps him feel more comfortable and at ease, and Flemming returns the favor. Mikko, a shy pit bull mix, took some time to warm up to his new human friend. YouTube / WCCO – CBS Minnesota The poor thing was rescued one day before he was scheduled to be euthanized and it was clear he’d previously lived a sad, neglected life. YouTube / WCCO – CBS Minnesota But after just a few days together, both the pup and man knew they’d found a true companion: (via The Dodo) Clearly, these two were meant to be part of each other’s lives. It’s amazing to watch someone’s life turn around with just a little extra love — and this time it happened twice. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/army-pit-bull-ptsd/
Image: Flickr, Camera Eye Photography Authors from all over the world came together last week to celebrate the best and brightest in contemporary literature at the 2014 PEN Literary Awards. The ceremony honors both recently published authors and those whose work has been pivotal in crafting the modern literary scene. Prize-winning books ranged from deep dives into the world of sports medicine to playful children’s stories to enchanting literary fiction. These books are all must-reads, but in case you need more convincing to check out these titles, here are seven reasons why you should be reading this year’s 2014 PEN Literary Award winners. Reasons Why You Should Be Reading This Year’s PEN Literary Award Winners 1. They empower children This year, storyteller Bil Lepp won the PEN/Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing with his children’s book The King of Little Things. By following the King of Little Things and his tiny subjects in their struggle to stop the devious King Normous, readers learn the value of simplicity and the power held by even those who are small. The book is made even more endearing by Lepp’s inspiration for the story — a whimsical playtime misadventure with his own son. Image: leppstorytelling.com 2. They let you travel the world Part of the power of literature is its ability to take you somewhere new. It’s this very virtue that PEN America celebrates with its PEN Award for Poetry in Translation. This year, the award went to The Diaries of Exile by Yannis Ritsos, translated by Karen Emmerich and Edmund Keeley. The Diaries of Exile details the life of a prisoner during the Greek Civil War, transporting readers to 1940s Greece within the bounds of this collection’s diary poems. Image: Archipelago Books 3. They celebrate diversity This year, PEN America awarded two authors — Ruth Ellen Kocher and Nina McConigley — the PEN Open Book Award. Kocher’s poetry collection domina Un/blued is simultaneously tragic and touching as it depicts various forms physical and mental of slavery. Likewise, McConigley’s Cowboys and East Indians addresses diversity and identity by looking at an eclectic cast of characters inhabiting Wyoming and India. Image: theaerogram.com 4. They advocate for social good Every year, PEN America spotlights social good with its PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. The prize is always awarded to an unpublished novel that addresses issues of social justice and comes with $25,000 and a publishing contract with Algonquin Books. This year, Ron Childress won the Bellwether Prize with his manuscript “And West Is West,” which explores corruption in both the military and Wall Street. Image: penamerican.tumblr.com 5. They are confronting violence in the NFL With the recent NFL controversies, much has been said about the brutality found within football, both on and off the field. But in their new book League of Denial, brothers Mark Fainaur-Wada and Steve Fainaru expose another type of violence perpetuated by the NFL — brain injuries incurred by players while playing football and how the NFL sought to cover […]
Some people may complain about their height, but honestly, they have no idea. At 24 inches tall, Jyoti Amge is the size of an average 3-month-old baby. Amge, however, is not an infant. In fact, at 21-years-old, she’s old enough to have one of her own. Ever since she turned 18, which was back in 2011, Amge has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the World’s Smallest Woman. Before that, she was the World’s Smallest Teenager. While Amge isn’t expected to get any taller, she still hopes to make it big in the film industry–whether it be in India’s Bollywood or America’s Hollywood. Here she is at her official measuring. GlobalPost Here she is with the man with the World’s Biggest Feet. DailyMail Jyoti back in her school days. somalistar Waving to the crowd. Despite all of the attention she’s received, Amge hasn’t let her ego get too big. Here she is posing for a photo with a fan. ravinhshah Watch the video below to find out about her recent trip to the United States. (via Reddit, Daily News) As little as Amge is, she isn’t the shortest woman that has ever lived. The shortest woman ever was Pauline Musters, who was an inch shorter than Jyoti. Share this unique woman with others by clicking below. Read more: http://viralnova.com/smallest-woman-in-the-world/
If you grew up having a pool (or knew someone with one), then most of your summer days were probably spend lounging beside that pool. Living in a neighborhood and having a place to swim is a huge responsibility in the summer. It attracts neighborhood children like honey does flies. One family decided to avoid potential lawsuits and wet children tracking water through their homes by doing something absolutely brilliant (and a little evil). Check out what this family of masterminds they did to their back yard: And this is absolutely brilliant. The only thing better than an in-ground swimming pool is an in-ground, underground secret swimming pool. Yes. This awesome pool is very real. (H/T BuzzFeed) It’s nearly June. Half of the world should be prepared to feel insanely jealous of this awesome pool. Read more: http://viralnova.com/hidden-pool/
Marketer Tom Monday has always been inspired by independent enterprises — businesses or individuals that are fueled by an unflappable passion for what they do and who they can reach, not just a desire to get rich. For more than a decade, Monday labored in the music industry in a variety of roles to help bring exposure to smaller (but no less important) performers. Then, in 2011, he moved onto a more corporatized position in the field, a decision he would later regret. “It was soul-crushing,” Monday tells Mashable. “I had a moment when I said, ‘I have to go back and work with people who are making things that are interesting and that I care about.’” “Telling their story” In 2012, Monday decamped from his job and turned his complete attention to a new passion that he and his professional and social circles were buzzing about: Helping small-batch food and drink producers establish a foothold in American kitchens. “There are a lot of similarities between independent music and independent food and drink, and a lot of my friends started talking about food and drink the way they used to talk about music,” he says. “They started wanting to not so much turn me onto a band, but turn me onto a small batch bourbon they just encountered, or a food truck or a pop-up shop.” The problem for many independent brands, however, is marketing. While they can go from their kitchen to a farmers market, they often have trouble navigating grocery chains and implementing customer acquisition strategies. Monday, who spent more than a dozen years in marketing, could help. The first step, he told them, was to tell their story, which would justify charging a premium for their product. Without a story about the maker, and where the product comes from, most small-batch producers struggle to attract the attention of customers who might be tempted to purchase a cheaper, mass-produced alternative. “People won’t pay premium for something if they don’t know a lot about it and haven’t been able to experience it,” Monday says. “It’s hard for people to tell their own story, so one of the most exciting things we can do is have a good product from someone who has a good story but hasn’t been able to tell it yet.” Since 2013, under the name Small Batch America, Monday has helped dozens of small brands, like Mast Brothers Chocolate, Grady’s Cold Brew and Sour Puss Pickles, tell their stories. He’s done so using many of the connections he made in the music industry. Backstage at concerts and festivals across the country, Monday has brought small-batch products to musicians who pride themselves on supporting small producers. He’s even been able to find a home for some of the products he represents in the green room of the The Daily Show. “One of my goals is to get venues and festivals to care more about what they’re serving their guests,” he says. “It seems silly to me that […]
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTBT_ATF’); }); Metal detecting is one of the coolest hobbies ever, and I don’t care what anyone says. Being able to find cool and mysterious things hidden just below the surface of the Earth is basically the best feeling in the world. While most metal detecting only uncovers a couple of small things at a time, every once in a while, you find something that absolutely blows your mind. What kind of “something,” you might ask? Oh, I don’t know…A TREASURE CHEST?! Okay, so it’s not a real treasure chest, but it’s still pretty damn amazing. Talk about a successful day of metal detecting, am I right? Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/treasure-chest/
When Oliver the cat sits down to eat his lunch every day, it’s always under the watchful eye of his canine companion, Hershey. Even though cats and dogs make unlikely friends, these two know the value of sharing! Oliver knows that the humans feed Hershey, too, but he likes to sneak him a few kibbles throughout the day just in case he’s hungry. Sharing is caring, right? Cartoons and kids’ stories might dictate that Oliver and Hershey can’t be pals, but judging by this video, they’re all about defying stereotypes. Bon appétit, cuties! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/kitten-feeds-dog/
You might not recognize the latest ad in Obama’s presidential campaign as politically charged on first listen. The video features Girls star Lena Dunham comparing her first time voting to losing her virginity. Specifically targeting women, Dunham advises how to make your “first time” special. “You want a guy who cares whether you get health insurance, and specifically whether you get birth control,” says Dunham in the ad, which has stirred controversy for its sexy tone. Dunham has been known to raise eyebrows before, like when she ate cake naked at the 2012 Emmys. The Obama campaign ruffled feathers earlier this election season when it released a video that compared Big Bird to Bernie Madoff. What do you think of the ad? Is this offensive or do critics need to lighten up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/26/obama-lenda-dunham-first-time/
Sadly, many people see a feral, aggressive dog and immediately want to put them down. With nearly 4 million pups entering shelters every year, it’s hard to think about all those pets who aren’t given a second chance like Billie Jean was. When No Kill Kern got a notice about this poor girl, she was terrified and aggressive towards humans. But after just a few days of working with trainers, Billie Jean’s true colors began to shine. But her story didn’t end there — watch to find out what they discovered when she took a trip to the vet! Thank goodness the people at No Kill Kern gave Billie Jean the love and patience she deserved. If you’d like to contribute to their rescue and rehabilitation efforts, visit their website here. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/feral-billie-jean/
