The US Postal Service vows that "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." But we must look to its rival UPS for video evidence to this effect.

Last January, Walt Gorczowski recorded footage of a UPS driver going the extra mile to get a package up to Gorczowski's house. He describes the incident:

Last week we had an ice storm. My driveway was smooth, wet ice... super slippery. I heard the UPS truck pull up so I opened the garage and told him to just leave the package at the sidewalk and I'd figure out a way to get it, but he insisted on getting it to me. Above and beyond... this guy is awesome.

-via Twisted Sifter

Donnachaidha O’Chionnaigh is an artist and father. For this Christmas, his kids didn't want specific items. They just wanted cash. He found a creative way of packing the money with card and blister packs reminiscent of Transformers, GI Joe, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Star Wars, and other popular toy/cartoon lines. You can see more photos here.

-via Kurt Schlichter

The folks at Bad Lip Reading brought us a nonsensical singing Yoda in the video SEAGULLS! (Stop It Now) more than three years ago. It's taken them this long to dare to give Yoda the mic again, and while this song is just as nonsensical, it's quite different. The video is edited from one short scene in The Last Jedi, and the song is completely original. It also has a secret weapon- a cameo appearance by Baby Yoda!

This hand looks as if it has been smashed by a bowling ball or something. The fingers are swollen, cracked, and there are patches that look like it may be bruised. What could have caused this? Who did it happen to? Continue to find out.

The Australian Floating Hotel That Ended Up in North Korea https://t.co/qyXwTVgQvk

— Amusing Planet (@AmusingPlanet) December 24, 2019

A floating hotel? Isn't that just a cruise ship? Not exactly. Back in the 1980s, cruise ships weren't as big as they are now. And this particular hotel was unique- seven stories tall and situated on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's coast. A spectacular place to stay.  

The Four Seasons Barrier Reef Resort was the brainchild of Townsville developer Doug Tarca, who wanted to put a hotel on the Great Barrier Reef so that tourists could have immediate access to it. The original plan was to permanently moor three cruise ships around the reef, but this was deemed impractical. A chance encounter with a Swedish company who specialized in building floating dorms for oil rigs transformed that idea into a floating resort instead.

As for the story about it ending up in North Korea, no, it didn't just float there on its own. Rather, circumstances decreed that the floating hotel wasn't going to make money in the long run, and it ended up being sold over and over again. Read the story of the floating Four Seasons Barrier Reef Resort at Amusing Planet.

Resolving to eat healthier foods on the next year, but worried that you’ll have to sacrifice taste? No need to worry: you don’t need to give up taste in exchange for health, and these cookbooks can help you make your healthy meals delicious.

Outside Online has compiled their list of the most nutritious cookbooks of 2019 that they will be sticking with in the New Year. Why don’t you check it out over at their site?

(Image Credit: Daria-Yakovleva/ Pixabay)

The decade is closing in a few days, and what better way to reminisce about the past year and the closing decade than to look back at the music? Refinery29 lists its top 10 albums of the whole decade, and while you might not agree on some (or any, music is subjective after all) of their picks, we can all agree on one thing: there’s a lot of good music that came from the 2010s.  Maybe you can take inspiration from them and list the albums that define your decade as well! 

image credit: via wikimedia commons

Temperatures across affected areas in Australia are soaring as fires have destroyed nearly 4 million hectares of bush land. For local residents and wildlife, seeking protection from the intense heat, which can be fatal, is a must. On Monday, Reuters shared this news update:

A family in the upper Hunter region of New South Wales filmed a 70 kg (154 lb) kangaroo taking a dip in their swimming pool at the weekend as temperatures topped 42 Celsius. 

Various wildlife sanctuaries and rescue groups have evacuated hundreds of animals in time before the flames hit. But the task remains a difficult one, especially when deciding whether to evacuate or stay with the wildlife animals who may face worsening heat and fire conditions. 

Reuters covers the full story here.

Photo: Ethan Brooke / Unsplash

There has been talk for years about looking into the time when Obi-Wan Kenobi stayed in a cave in Tatooine, watching over young Luke Skywalker from a distance as he grew up. Jamie Costa has produced a 15-minute fan film doing exactly that. He portrayed Han Solo in the fan film Han Solo: A Smuggler's Trade three years ago, so it appears that he's staying one step ahead of Disney. Kenobi also stars James Arnold Taylor, Tommy Snider, and Maxine Phoenix. Yes, Hollywood is full of Star Wars geeks.

Scientists who study the natural world have to spend at least part of their time in that world. The work can be grueling and uneventful, but spend enough time outdoors and something memorable will happen ventually. Like the time paleontology professor Don Esker and his team were caught in a sudden storm in Montana. Most of the crew hurried to tents (that collapsed) while he was in a van.  

After a bit, we started to hear hard *pings* as objects ricocheted off the van, and we realized we were getting hail, steadily increasing in abundance and size. The vehicles rocked ominously and the hail fell, and the wind blew and blew and blew and we were silent. Gradually, the storm abated.

We went out to check on Mason Jane Milam, who had remained in her tent. As we approached, she emerged, smiling ruefully, streaked with green and brown. Her tent was filled with 15 to 20 centimeters of sludge of the same colors. Cow patties had been sent aloft when the storm first hit, blowing them into Mason’s door-less tent despite all her efforts. When the rain came next, it had rehydrated the excrement and turned her tent into a bathtub of bovine sewage.

In addition to bovine sewage, scientists tell us stories of falling off rock formations, negotiating mine fields, dealing with floods and charging bulls, and even finding a crime scene, at Gizmodo.

(Unrelated image credit: Petrified Forest)

Twitter user Schadenfreudelish calls it a "Baby Yodarita". Just add two black cherries for eyes, two lime wedges for ears, and tie a napkin around the stem for a robe. Intoxicating it is.

This is the right way to start Christmas morning!

-via Proper Opinion

In an ironically waggish plot twist, firefighters in Lathrop, California, came to the rescue of a German shepherd that was stuck in a tree after chasing a black cat. Amusingly, upon the arrival of first responders who brought a ladder with them, the dog still would not relent in his pursuit.

The Lathrop Manteca Fire District Facebook page shared photos of the cat-dog conundrum with the caption: 

You may have heard that our firefighters get cats out of trees, but what about dogs?!?! Right after Truck 30 and Engine 35 dropped off Santa that was exactly their next call. Glad to hear that all turned out well for this pooch, and we are all pretty sure he’ll think twice about chasing cats up the next tree...nice work Engine 35!

In the post, you can see just how hair-raising of a height it was and the moments of relief after the successful rescue. 

Head over to CNN for the full story. 

(Image credit: Facebook via CNN)

Yule log videos are helpful if you don't have a fireplace but would still like to experience the sights and sounds of a warming fire. We've seen cat internet star Lil Bub and Nick Offerman make their own soothing videos. Now it's time for Luke and Anakin Skywalker to get into the action. This video by Benjamin Apple loops the funeral scene from Return of the Jedi for five hours.

-via Instapundit

The Guardian gives us a list of the 13 worst trends from the past 10 years, which “were full of questionable ideas and purchases.” They cover everything from the rising influence of social media and celebrities to marketing trends in smart technology and fast fashion. 

As you take a short trip down memory lane, you might find yourself asking, “What were we thinking?” Although there were a lot of awesome viral moments in the past decade, it comes with its fair share of cringing and let’s-not-do-that-again. Oh well, that’s popular culture for you. 

What do you think about this? 

Check out the full list from The Guardian. 

Photo: Oleg Laptev / Unsplash

The year is not over yet and there is more to come before we bid 2019 a final farewell. An annual solar eclipse is expected to occur “at 3.43am Universal Time on December 26, 2019. If you're in Southeast Asia, that'll be between 11am to 1pm local time Christmas Day.”

There's a reason why this particular phenomenon is also called the "ring of fire" and sometimes, "ring of light". That's because watching the 3 minute 40 second eclipse without any protection for the eyes can lead to total blindness.

While it's not expected to be impressive since the New Moon is further away from the sun and will only be blocking the center of the sun's disk - about 97 percent of the sun, experts say the spectacle would still be beautiful to look at.

Don’t worry if you miss out on this one, there’s another eclipse expected to take place on June 21, 2020, and it may even be a rarer spectacle than this one. 

Head over to Mashable for the full article.  

Photo: Jongsun Lee / Unsplash