We've seen plenty of pictures of European supermarkets and their "American sections." They are filled with candy, marshmallows, Pop Tarts, and other junk foods that are not as available elsewhere. Yes, Americans are used to sweet foods, whereas the rest of the world isn't. But there are genuine American* crops that just aren't grown elsewhere. For example, cornbread and the corn meal to make it. Or corn tortillas or grits. It's hard to get maple syrup in Brazil. And even though canned pumpkin is made of butternut squash, it's not sold everywhere. And there's no celery seed in Finland.  

A list at Buzzfeed tells of foods that visitors liked but cannot get at home in other countries. Sure, there's some junk food items that you'd expect, but also a bunch of spice mixes that we Americans depend on, and foods we never think about as being particularly American*.  

*To be honest, in this post, "America" can also mean North America and South America.   

(Image credit: Douglas P Perkins)

Was Ghostbusters: Afterlife any good? Before we answer that question, be warned that this Honest Trailer has spoilers. Screen Junkies doesn't think so, but they are in the business of picking apart every movie they encounter.  In this Honest Trailer, they lay out the evidence for their opinion of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which has the same problem as every Ghostbusters sequel, remake, or reboot. It cannot recreate the magic of the first movie, so it relies on references to it. Okay, the secret to enjoying a sequel is to NOT compare it to the original, which is impossible for the Ghostbusters franchise. The franchise as a whole is a lesson in trying to catch lightning in a bottle. It's a miracle that it happened once, but you're not going to do it again. This is the fourth Ghostbusters movie, and the third to be a disappointment. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Deadline reports that Paramount+, a streaming entertainment service operated by ViacomCBS, plans to release a feature-length film based on "Baby Shark".

Yes, "Baby Shark." That's the viral chidren's song that, at some point in the past few years, you have discovered yourself singing or humming. It's an earworm that torments the living over the age of five courtesy of the living below that age.

"Baby Shark" by Korean children's entertainment company Pinkfong became a viral hit in 2016. In January, it became the first YouTube video to reach over 10 billion views, thus establishing a Guinness World Record.

What do you think the plot will be?

-via Gizmodo

First we had #LawyerCat. And now, #LawyerChipmunk has entered the 394th District Court! Despite the @Zoom audio glitch, this lawyer's professionalism never wavered. (How-to for fixing the glitch is at the end.) #OhNo #NotAgain #lawtwitter pic.twitter.com/N65W89sojo

— Judge Roy Ferguson (@JudgeFergusonTX) January 27, 2022

Last year, during the pandemic, many courts in the United States went virtual for procedural hearings. Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th Judicial Circuit Court of Texas, known for his technical prowess, was able to navigate attorney Rod Ponton through Zoom settings when the lawyer couldn't turn off his kitten filter.

Last month, attorney Rae Leifest entered one of Judge Ferguson's Zoom court meetings with a faculty audio set up. He sounded like a chipmunk! Fortunately, the judge knew exactly how to fix it.

-via The Dodo

The yeti is a cryptid, possibly resembling an ape, that roams the higher reaches of the Himalayan Mountains. It was a legend among the Sherpa people going way back, but captured the world's imagination during the first half of the 20th century as mountaineers raced to conquer the summit of Mount Everest. Some mountain climbers brought back pictures of mysterious footprints and shadowy figures, and even bits of skin and fur. The Everest race was won when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first expedition to reach the summit and return alive in 1953. But yeti fever endured for years afterward.  

So Hillary set out to find the yeti. That was one purpose for the nine-month expedition that launched on September 10, 1960. The other purpose was to study the long-term effects of high altitude exposure. The expedition was packed with scientists and mountain experts, including zoologist Marlin Perkins, who you may remember from the TV show Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. The altitude studies drew financing from World Book Encyclopedia, but the hunt for a yeti drew the headlines and public support. The expedition was well-supplied with both tranquilizer rifles and defensive weapons. Read about the expedition, and what the team found at Atlas Obscura.

🎨 You and I may see just a crack on the sidewalk, a tuft of grass growing out of the cement or a sandbag placed haphazardly on the side of the road. But to chalk artist extraordinaire David Zinn, they are the starting points of his street art. Take a look at Zinn's amazing chalk art - easily the funniest and most wonderful street art you'll see today!

⭐ These fantastic astronomy photos are the winners of the Astro2021 contest. To wit, "Deep in the Heart of Mordor" by Andy Campbell of Australia is of the Helix Nebula NGC 7293 that looks like the eye of Sauron.

🏠 Turns out, chainmail can protect more than just human bodies. The coastal town of Helensburgh, Scotland, uses chainmail to protect a historic house from the elements. I guess it's better than constructing a giant umbrella to go over the home!

😷 This is the way (out of the Pandemic): The Maskalorian gives free masks to people in Vienna and New York. Oh, and he carries a masked Baby Yoda with him.

🐊 Humans finally freed a crocodile of his motorcycle tire necklace it's been wearing for six years.

🎬 This black-and-white clip of a dancing skeleton might not sound all that impressive but keep in mind that it was filmed back in 1898.

Love neat posts? We've got plenty more over at our new sites: Laughosaurus, Pictojam, Pop Culturista, Supa Fluffy, Homes & Hues, and Spooky Daily.

Image: @davidzinn/Instagram

Featured art: Moonworks by indie artist joerawks

Current special from the NeatoShop: Save up to 20% on all Sci-Fi T-shirts, Fantasy T-shirts and Horror T-Shirts.

In 2008 an avid contributor to Wikipedia uploaded a photoshoot illustrating a "high five." He enlisted a couple of friends to pose for the pictures, four of them, entitled Up High, Down Low, Victim Misses, and Too Slow (with finger-guns). The pictures are pretty funny, and the couple is just too cute. The set of pictures managed to capture the hearts of internet users. They've been used as memes for 14 years now.

Annie Rauwerda was taken with the joyous pictures, and wondered who these people were. What made them so happy when the pictures were taken? Why were the pictures taken? Were they a couple? Are they still together? What led to the high fives? Fourteen years later, she managed to track them both down to find the story behind the pictures. Read how Rauwerda found them and what has happened to the two people since the pictures were taken at Input magazine. -via Digg

(Image credit: Bgubitz at English Wikipedia)

After World War II gave us the first nuclear detonation, the world had only two nuclear powers, the US and the Soviet Union. As time passed, scientists began to think about using nuclear technology for things other than war, constructive odeas such as digging canals. Oh yeah, what could possibly go wrong? But that is hindsight talking. In 1969, engineers in Britain came up with a plan to conduct an underground nuclear explosion in a national park in Yorkshire. The purpose was to create a large hole for a gas storage tank in a very short time.

As Americans, we are used to such stories, but Tom Scott found out about this forgotten plan, and was horrified. In the years since 1969, we figured out what an insane idea it was to use nuclear bombs for digging holes. Take a video trip with Tom to the site where this could have happened- but didn't.

Johnny Eck was an actor, artist, musician, and sideshow performer who was billed as "The Amazing Half-Boy," among other titles. You may remember him from the 1932 movie Freaks, or as the Bird Monster in early Tarzan movies. Due to sacral agenisis, Eck appeared to only exist from the waist up. He actually had all necessary body organs, and even underdeveloped legs and feet, but hid them under his clothing. John Eckhardt, Jr. was born a twin. His brother Robert had a normal build, and although they were fraternal twins, the brothers looked very much alike.

Robert was often part of Johnny's act. This made possible an amazing stunt you won't soon forget.

In 1937, Eck and Robert were recruited by the illusionist and hypnotist, Rajah Raboid, for his "Miracles of 1937" show. In it they performed a magic feat that amazed audiences. Raboid performed the traditional sawing-a-man-in-half illusion, except with an unexpected twist. At first Robert would pretend to be a member of the audience and heckle the illusionist during his routine, resulting in Robert being called on stage to be sawed in half himself. During the illusion, Robert would then be switched with his twin brother Eck, who played the top half of his body, and a dwarf, who played the bottom half, concealed in specially-built pant legs. After being sawed in half, the legs would suddenly get up and start running away, prompting Eck to jump off the table and start chasing his legs around the stage, screaming, "Come back!" "I want my legs back!"

You must read the rest of the story for the exquisite audience reaction. No doubt a few were seriously traumatized. The article includes more about Eck's astonishing career. -via a comment at Metafilter

🎬 What does that house/building/park/street in your favorite movie look like in real life nowadays? Take a look at this compilation of movie locations then and now - this one above from Back to the Future still has a Burger King!

🤖 While it's not yet Skynet level scary, it's pretty darn close: AI managed to turn Buzzfeed headlines into horrifying pictures.

🤣 Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting featuring the now infamous extra long table has been turned into funny memes thanks to Twitter.

🐐 Oldie but goodie: Biquette, the punk rock goat who loves grindcore.

🍟 If you want to attract a man, put on a fragrance that he finds irresistible: Idaho Potato Commission's new aptly-named Frites perfume that smells like French fries.

🏨 Nintendo's first HQ is now a hotel.

🧛 Sure it's a horror movie, but Bram Stoker's Dracula is actually a love story.

🏠 In 1929, a wealthy father gave a designer $100K to decorate his 17-year-old daughter's bedroom. The result is an Art Deco bedroom that's one for the history book.

More neat stories over at our new sites: Pictojam, Supa Fluffy, Pop Culturista, Homes & Hues, Infinite 1UP, Laughosaurus, and Spooky Daily.

Current special from the NeatoShop: Save up to 20% on all Sci-Fi T-shirts, Fantasy T-shirts and Horro T-Shirts.

My husband and I used to tell each other, "It's okay that we don't look too good, because we don't see too well, either." Then he got cataract surgery and left me. But I digress.

Another quote that comes to mind is from It's a Wonderful Life: "Youth is wasted on the wrong people." Old folks who have been together a long time understand what is important, and it's not a hot bod or a smooth face. The hormones get replaced by respect, familiarity, and a lifetime of adventures together. At the same time, they can look at each other and picture what how they appeared when they first fell in love, and just that can bring up a tiny rush of hormones -which is enough. This poem was written by Josh Whicker and illustrated by Lauren Dodson. -via Fark

If you've ever received a Valentine card that you thought didn't quite measure up to your expectations, try to be forgiving. At least it wasn't one of the misguided, bizarre, or downright insulting cards of the Victorian era. The morbid example above, in case you can't read the script, says,

My late dear Wife preserved in a glass case
She was such a darling Pet that I had her stuffed.
Will you be my second?

That's probably the worst marriage proposal I've heard of ...ever. Twitter user Lauryn Ipsum posted a thread that shows us some of the worst valentines of bygone eras. Some are well-meaning but accompanied by creepy imagery. Others are cringeworthy, including some "vinegar valentines" and the plainly misogynist cards aimed at suffragettes. Some are, frankly, just incomprehensible.



Yeah, it was a different time. Maybe we should be thankful for the kinder, gentler valentines at the corner convenience store, even if they are blandly generic. See all of these unhinged vintage valentines in the Twitter thread, or in a more image-friendly version at Threadreader.

-via Metafilter

If you are planning to dedicate a love song to your sweetheart for Valentines Day, it might pay to listen to the lyrics first. Any wedding DJ will tell you that "Every Breath You Take" from The Police will be requested for the reception, because people think it's a song about undying devotion. But if you really listen to it, it's clearly about stalking. Just as people embraced the mistaken idea that "Born in the USA" is a patriotic song, lovers take the wrong message from a song's title or chorus, isolated from the full set of lyrics. Or they just like the tune. For example, "Marry You" by Bruno Mars. While it has been effectively used to express true love, the lyrics are more of a pickup line.

According to this 2010 Bruno Mars hit, marriage is a sacred union involving two people and a whole lot of booze. “Is it the look in your eyes / Or is it this dancing juice?” Mars asks in the chorus. It’s definitely the latter, as this couple is admittedly wrecked on tequila and “looking for something dumb to do.” As for the next morning, “If we wake up and you wanna break up, that's cool,” Mars sings.

Read about ten other songs that are used as love songs until you listen to the lyrics at Mental Floss.

📷 Inspired after seeing unconventional advent calendars featuring pets and cute animals, Matt Bonito decided that he'd create his own funny pics by photoshopping his father Dom into famous movie scenes. The results are hilarious!

🐢 This vet couple's wedding featured the slowest - and cutest - walk down the aisle: their pet tortoise is the ring bearer and had to be bribed to walk down the aisle with bits of strawberries.

⚾ Homeowner found a neat surprise when renovating their newly bought house: a wall of 1,600 retro baseball cards.

🎬 What if The Book of Boba Fett was made in the 1980s?

👤 "Shadowologist" Vincent Bal's shadow art is so awesome we featured him twice on Pictojam.

🕹️ YouTuber eli_handle_b.wav placed Mr. Bean into the video game Half Life 2 and Austin Powers into Mass Effect. Yeah, baby - this is what the Internet is made for.

🎃 Love Halloween? Check out this Top 25 Most Popular Halloween Costumes of 2021 over at Spooky Daily, our new all-Halloween-all-the-time site.

Image: the_dadvent, Vincent Bal

More neat stuff over at our new sites: Pop Culturista, Pictojam, Homes & Hues, Infinite 1UP, Supa Fluffy and Spooky Daily.

Current special: Save up to 20% on all T-shirts in NeatoShop's limited-time sitewide sale. But you'd better hurry - this special ends very soon.

Just in time for Valentines Day, but sadly too late for a Oscar nomination this year, Tibo Charroppin and his cat Lizzy, whose stage name is OwlKitty (previously at Neatorama) have unveiled their newest cinematic creation. OwlKitty has landed the role of Rose in the 1997 movie Titanic! Poor Kate Winslet has been relegated to a bit part. It's a romantic masterpiece, as Rose and Jack frolic aboard the doomed ship and kindle a romance for the ages. You'll be swept away by the sheer joy in their hearts. Don't miss the part where OwlKitty gets her portrait drawn. She's naked, but it's still SFW because, well, she's a cat and is quite hairy. That in no way undermines her magnificent performance.  -via Geeks Are Sexy