Graduation Pen - $2.95
Is your favorite student about to graduate? They need the Graduation Pen from the NeatoShop. The Graduation Pen might come in handy when they have to start writing all those checks to that student loan corporation. Yikes!! When exactly did tuition start getting so high?
Be sure to check out all the neat Pens & Pencils available at the NeatoShop!What would you do to help out a friend? Sixteen-year-old teenager Lui Shi Ching of Hebei carries his friend Lu Shao on his back for 8 years:
In Hebei, China, a teenager named Lui Shi Ching, 16 years old, has carried his friend to school daily for the last 8 years. His friend Lu Shao has a congenital disorder which makes it difficult for him to walk.
Eight years ago on a rainy day, Lu shao was stuck at school when his mom didn't come to pick him up. Lui Shi Ching, who was smaller than Lu Shao, decided to help and carried him home. [...]
Lui Shi Ching didn't brag about his good deeds too much; his parents didn't even find out until 4 years after he first helped out his friend.
http://hken.ibtimes.com/articles/141897/20110505/chinese-teenager-carries-friend-on-back-for-eight-years-photo.htm - via Arbroath
It's bad enough to encounter one natural disaster when you travel, but Stefan and Erika Svanstrom's long trip has four. They've just came back from a four month-long "Honeymoon from Hell":
With their baby daughter in tow, the Svanstrom's packed up and prepared to leave on their once-in-a-lifetime journey.
But things didn't go exactly as planned. They encountered floods, fires, tsunamis and earthquakes along the way.
Link (warning: auto-starting video)
(YouTube link)
Sportswriter Hirotada Ototake threw out the ceremonial first pitch at yesterday's game between Seibu and Rakuten in Japan. Ototake was born without arms or legs, but lives a normal life and works as an advocate for the disabled in his spare time. The speech he gives before the pitch is a dedication to the people of Tohoku, a region of Japan that was hard-hit by the earthquake and tsunami. Read more at Japan Probe. Link -via The Daily What
Ovary Plush - 13.95
Get in touch with your feminine side. Hug an Ovary Plush from the NeatoShop today! Who knew a ovum-producing reproductive organ could be so cute and cuddly.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulously unusual Plush Toys.
Last Father’s Day, we brought you a list of the world’s greatest animal dads, but now it’s time to thank the ladies for all their hard work. These matronly critters show just how much a mother’s love can mean to the success of her little one.
After a 22 month long pregnancy followed by delivery of the world’s largest babies (around 250 pounds), elephants deserve to be on this list even if they immediately abandoned their babes. But they don’t just say “thanks for all the stretch marks,” and get on their merry way, elephant mothers continue raising their babies. Baby elephants are born blind and completely dependant on their mother and the rest of the herd. While the baby is growing, they are fortunate enough to have a great support system consisting of multiple full-time babysitters, called “allmothers.” While the allmothers take care of the precious little one, the mother will work to eat as much as she can so she can make the most possible milk for her bundle of joy. Image by Googie man [Wikipedia]
We don’t tend to think of cold-blooded animals as the most caring parents, but alligators certainly break that mold. The female alligator creates nests of rotting organic matter that not only self-incubates, but also determine the sex of the babies. Nests that are constructed with leaves are warmer than those made with wet marsh, and thus, produce more males than cooler nests. Once mama gator has planned the sex of her litter, she will guard her nest from threats, including other alligators, who love to munch on baby gator nests. When the eggs hatch, she will load them into her mouth and then carry them into the water where she will continue to care for them for the following year, assuming they decide to stay near home. Image via Catholic 85 [Wikipedia]
Female orangutans have to wait eight years between births (the longest interbirth time of any great ape), so they make sure their time with each baby counts. Infant orangutans are completely dependent on their mother for their first two years of life. In fact, during the first four months of a baby’s life, it will never break physical contact with its mother, clinging to her belly the whole time. Each night, the mother will make a nest and she and her baby will cuddle in bed during the duration of its infancy. Even as they mature, they continue to stick close to mother and even breastfeed until they are five years old –making them the species with the longest dependence period. The girls stay with their mothers longer than the boys, sticking around to learn necessary baby rearing skills. Image via JohnBurke [Flickr]
