Image: Reddit/inospeakenglish

For a lot of us, it's been a cold winter, the freezing temperatures of which are hanging tough. Many humans have big, fluffy blankets, but what about felines? They're rarely afforded such seasonal luxuries. In circumstances such as those, kitties must improvise. Getting creative with what one has handy is the key. Are dogs off limits? Are they ever? Certainly not. Pile on and ignore those puppy dog eyes. After all, it's what cats usually do anyway.

See more cats making themselves comfortable on the family dog here. 

Image: Reddit/NotMyRealName14

Respected author and neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks (previously at Neatorama), in a column he wrote yesterday for the New York Times, revealed the sad news that an ocular melanoma he was treated for nine years ago has metastasized in his liver; thus he has not long to live.

Yet much like with his other writings including Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Sacks has wisdom to impart with regard to the force and frailties of life, as well as living with meaning and purpose. Sacks writes,

"I feel grateful that I have been granted nine years of good health and productivity since the original diagnosis, but now I am face to face with dying. The cancer occupies a third of my liver, and though its advance may be slowed, this particular sort of cancer cannot be halted.

It is up to me now to choose how to live out the months that remain to me. I have to live in the richest, deepest, most productive way I can.

Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and with a deepening sense of the connection of all its parts. This does not mean I am finished with life."

Read Sacks' full essay at the New York Times. It's not a long read, but it is powerful. 

Image: OliverSacks.com 

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Though we've seen similar videos about Western makeup and hairstyles in the last century, the study of such in Iran is not a simple matter of curlers and lipstick. The intertwined religion and politics of Iran don't just influence the hair and makeup of its female residents, they rule it, backing up the law with such harsh penalties that few dare to deviate, at least in public.

An example of Islamic law with regard to womens' style is clearly illustrated in this video between the 1970s and 1980s. Once the Shah of Iran was overthrown during the Islamic Revolution of February 1979, laws with regard to the women of Iran changed drastically. Among the changes were the long, free-flowing hairstyles and modern makeup of the time being immediately transformed in accordance with the modesty requirements under Sharia law.

-Via Laughing Squid

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There was Socrates, Plato and Voltaire, Descartes and Kant. Then there was Cookie, and that's good enough for me. Watch as one of the greatest Muppets ever strolls past artistic masterpieces while contemplating the edible world. Don't miss his bits of eternal wisdom, such as "Lobsters are mermaids to scorpions!" -Via Laughing Squid

French-born, New York-based Sophie Gamand (previously at Neatorama) is a gifted fine art photographer who concentrates heavily on the subject of dogs. Sophie's projects don't just skim the surface of adorable appearance, however. Gamand deeply ponders her subject matter and uses her art to make a statement about her observations. 

For this series entitled Prophecy, Sophie chose hairless dogs as her focus, specifically two major breeds, the Chinese Crested and the Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican hairless dog). In her discussion of the series on her website, Gamand explains,

"I wanted to explore the unique beauty of hairless dogs who are often mocked or called "ugly." I wanted to look beyond their physical qualities and into their personality and charisma. I wanted to pierce the mystery surrounding them. I had never even touched their skin before.

At the center of my photographic exploration is the idea that dogs have been engineered by men. Through artificial selection, for the past millennia, they have been selected, manipulated genetically, breeds have been created, shaped and trained to fulfill our needs. Whether it is to perform tasks for us or simply for companionship, humans have subdued an entire species for their own needs, alleviating their deep sense of solitude. In a way, dogs are the first example – and most striking one – of Man acting like a god towards Nature. This series is a reminder that playing God with Nature often comes with consequences and a price to pay, sooner or later.

For this project I approached private breeders as well as rescue organizations specializing in hairless dogs (such as Bald is Beautiful and Bare Paws Rescue). To learn more about the Xoloitzcuintli, visit the Xolo Club of America's website."

Visit Gamand's website to see the rest of this charming series, and keep up with her projects on social media via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  

 
 

Tyrannosaurus Rex may get teased for not having arms long enough for a proper embrace, but no one ever said anything about its tail. Tame the powerful beast enough to wrap him around your finger with these rings from Applelatte at Etsy. The brass rings come in sizes 5-9 and in antique silver or antique gold finishes. 

The Applelatte Etsy shop has a large variety of rings and other jewelry with animals and various adornments. Check out their selection here. 

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In the new episode of List Show by Mental Floss, John Green presents viewers with 80 facts about the big haired, new wavy, Aqua Netted 1980s. Why did the Wendy's "Where's the Beef" lady get canned? What was Yoda named in early outlines for The Empire Strikes Back? How did Simon Le Bon get noticed in his audition for Duran Duran? How long did it take John Hughes to write the scripts for Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller's Day Off? These questions and 75 more are answered. 

Pork chop bun, Macao |  Image: Ydolemw | Asian-marinated pork with sweet Portugese bread
Gained popularity worldwide after being featured by Anthony Bourdain in 2011

When it comes to whipping up a bite to eat, there's nothing like a sandwich. One can put just about anything in the fridge on a sandwich and have it be delicious. It's possible to please nearly everyone by making them a sandwich, from vegans to hardcore meat-a-holics. Start with a great loaf of bread and that's half the battle won.

In the linked article, BuzzFeed presents 32 sandwiches from countries all over the world. Quite a few of them look pretty tasty to me. What's your pleasure?


Zapiekanka, Poland | Image: Michrzan 
Open-faced baguette covered in sautéed mushroom, onion, and cheese, baked in the oven

Medianoche, Cuba | Image: jamslopz 
Mustard, pork, ham, cheese, and gherkins layered over sweet Cuban bread, pressed

Orson Welles, 1927 | Image: Wikipedia

Celebrated director Orson Welles was known for films such as Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons and The Lady from Shanghai. Yet in spite of Welles' success, he had a complex about one of his physical characteristics: his nose. He was once quoted as saying that his nose had not "grown one millimeter since infancy."

Welles, also an actor, cast himself in a number of his own films. In order to hide what he thought was an embarrassingly tiny nose, for every movie in which he made an appearance, he wore a prosthetic. As Welles grew older, his prosthetic noses did not. He reportedly had at least one new nose for every film, each bigger than the last.

Once, Welles' prosthetic nose collection held up a shoot when it didn't arrive in Hong Kong by mail as planned. Sources on the set reported that a panicked Orson Welles dispatched 20 members of the film crew to every post office in Hong Kong to find his precious package. Editors later reported that Welles' noses changed in shape from scene to scene. 

Read other strange stories about film directors including George Lucas, Wes Anderson and James Cameron here.  

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When we last checked in with the King of Random, he was melting aluminum and molding it into ingots. This time, the King uses a mini arc furnace that he constructed previously to melt various substances including copper and steel.  

Dustin Yellin is a Brooklyn-based artist commissioned by the New York City Ballet to do a series of his glass sculptures shown here, which he calls "Psychogeographies" because “they feel like maps of the psyche.”

Each sculpture presses found items such as books, magazines and street trash between large-scale plates of glass. Yellin explains,

“Imagine if you were to make a drawing on a window, and then you were to take another window and glue it to that window… until you had a window sandwich. I make window sandwiches.”

Each stunning sculpture — in this case, of dancers to honor the ballet — weighs 3,000 pounds. The finished pieces were installed in Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. See more of Yellin's incredible pieces at his website, and follow him on Instagram. -Via Colossal

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There's an Instagram account and Tumblr with the tagline "They have more money than you, and this is what they do." I'm sure few people realize the following, so allow me to break the news: there are people in this world who are ridiculously wealthy. Those people have kids. They have teens and tweens. Those kids use social media. While you're reeling from the truth, I'll add that some of the aforementioned rich kids use social media to rub your nose in their private jets and Dom Perignon. Their Instagram account isn't just average. Perish the thought. It's equipped with elaborate, solid gold frames for every square shot. 

Yet there's a group of kids in Romania who have something to say in response. Under the hashtag "DistractieCuBaniPutini," which translates to "LittleMoneyBigFun" in English (and, oddly enough, was started by Kentucky Fried Chicken), these kids parody the rich kids of Instagram in a way that keeps it light and never bitter. After all, acting out on social media seems to be a current global, first-world, teenage right of passage, which is certainly not limited to those with privilege. Visit the links above to check out the rich kids and their parodists. 

Via Distractify | Images: DistractieCuBaniPutini

Norway's Atlantic Ocean Road is a little over five miles long, connecting the towns of Kristiansund and Molde in the midwestern section of the coastline. According to its entry on dangerousroads.com,  

"Driving along the Atlantic Road is like teetering on the edge of the sea... The curvy road dips and arches over the brutal waves of the Norwegian Sea that often crash over the pavement during storms, and was subjected to 12 hurricanes during construction."

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As shown in the video above, waves splash onto the highway regularly, leaving quite a bit of water on the road's surface. See other pictures of this roller coaster highway at the dangerous roads link above.

 
The photo above is North Yungas Road in Bolivia, which locals call "The Road of Death." Its nickname is fitting in that a 2006 study estimated that 200 to 300 travelers die every year on the roadway, which connects the Amazon rainforest with La Paz.

Chulumani Road (below) in Bolivia is also referred to as "South Yungas Road." The frightening looking pathway, with what appears to be a dropoff into the clouds, is actually an alternate route for people to take if they don't want to travel North Jungas Road. 

Read about more harrowing roads all over the world in this article. 

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Miles Barnhart, during a visit to St. Louis Zoo on Saturday, captured a sea lion entertaining herself with a game of chasing a child's pink mitten, to the delight of onlookers. Though I know the St. Louis Zoo to be a great organization that provides excellent care for the animals, seeing videos like these makes me fantasize about pulling a Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys move. 

Carolina Breeze, 23, of Israel sent a collection of photos to Bored Panda in a user-submitted offering. She proudly explained how her father taught himself to make jewelry from scrap metal when he was out of work. 

"About a year ago, my father (45) came to me and showed me a piece of jewelry he made out of scrap metal. The jewelry junkie inside me felt like my world had just turned upside down. I was full of surprise, admiration and love for my father who just lost his job but still remained a creative person that never stopped using his hands to bring some beauty and magic to the world.

It was a big pendant made out of copper wire from an old radio combined with some ugly beads he took from an old piece of my jewelry. My father had never made jewelry before, and there it was...

From that day on we’ve been designing different types of pendants, earrings and bracelets, all inspired by mythology, ancient cultures, Indian tribes, Celtic symbols, etc."

See more pictures of this beautiful jewelry at Carolina's Bored Panda post, and visit George and Carolina's Etsy store to purchase pieces or inquire about special orders. 

Images: Carolina Breeze