Month: February 2020

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Australian Soldiers Care for Koalas in Their Time Off

Fires in Australia remain in the news cycle. Thankfully, they’ve decreased in intensity, but there are many firefighters, conservationists, soldiers, and volunteers still out there, doing what they can.

Recently, a photo went viral because it shows soldiers taking care of koalas.

Posted by 9th Brigade – Australian Army on Thursday, January 23, 2020

Meet the Australian Army’s 16th Regiment Emergency Support Force! Though they are professional soldiers, these men have been tirelessly working to put fires out. When they’re not busy fighting fires, they care for koalas whose homes have been decimated after this natural disaster.

That’s right! Even when they’re given time to rest, they’re still doing everything they can to pitch in with the country’s recovery efforts.

The men have assisted affected animals on-site at Cleland National Park. The 9th Brigade of the Australian Army posted pictures of these efforts on their official Facebook page, saying:

“16 Regiment Emergency Support Force have been using their rest periods to lend a helping hand at the Cleland Wildlife Park , supporting our furry friends during feeding time and by building climbing mounts inside the park. A great morale boost for our hard working team in the Adelaide Hills.”

Posted by 9th Brigade – Australian Army on Thursday, January 23, 2020

In addition to caring for and feeding the koalas, the troops also built new grounds that allow koalas to play and explore as they recover.

Posted by 9th Brigade – Australian Army on Thursday, January 23, 2020

Though the men were perhaps expecting another type of assignment, they’ve done a great job helping the many, many koalas that have suffered due to the bushfire crisis.

Posted by 9th Brigade – Australian Army on Thursday, January 23, 2020

The original Facebook post updating the public about the 16th Regiment’s work garnered thousands of comments and likes. You can also check out their work below.

What do you think of these soldiers’ mission? Feel free to share your opinion with us in the comments.

The post Australian Soldiers Care for Koalas in Their Time Off appeared first on UberFacts.

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Some of the Best Photos NASA’s Curiosity Rover Has Taken in Its 8 Years on Mars

NASA’s Curiosity landed on Mars on August 6, 2012 – if you remember, you could even sort of livestream its Martian landing. It became the only functional robot on the planet after NASA’s Opportunity stopped communicating on February 13, 2019.

After nearly 8 years of service, the Curiosity has taken some amazing pictures of the Red Planet (and it’s still trundling around doing it’s thing). You can check out the thousands of images on NASA’s official website.

In the meantime, here’s a quick preview of the beauty of Mars.

15. Curiosity Selfie!

Even robots want to take a picture now and then.

14. A Petrified Area

These patterns are just beautiful.

13. Check out These Gorgeous Views

Worthy of a museum exhibit!

12. Checking out Its Own Wheel Track

It’s a meta portrait.

11. An Active Sand Dune

Called Gobabeb, this sand dune belongs to a dune field called Bagnold.

10. Mount Sharp’s Base

This is mudstone.

9. Yet Another Shot of Mount Sharp

These sedimentary rocks are still charming to look at.

8. A Wide Shot

Actually taken from a Mars Orbiter, not by Curiosity.

7. Fracture Shot

This has many rocks that look as if they’ve been, well, fractured.

6. A Rocky Dreamscape

It looks like a dream!

5. Wide-Shot of Mount Sharp

This far-off view definitely speaks for itself!

4. The Bottom of Mount Sharp

There are many great angles of this mountain.

3. Take a Gander at This!

It’s called Jake Matijevic Rock.

2. The “Harrison” Rock

There are some crystals in this shot too!

1. Martian Sunset

If it looks other-worldly, that’s because it is!

As of now, the Curiosity is still doing strong on Mars.

If you’ve got thoughts, we totally look forward to hearing anything you have to say about these landscapes. All scientific facts, discussion, and theories are totally welcome in the comments.

The post Some of the Best Photos NASA’s Curiosity Rover Has Taken in Its 8 Years on Mars appeared first on UberFacts.

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Enjoy These Funny Photos of Vegan ‘Hunters’

Let’s have a little fun, shall we? Why so serious? Everything doesn’t have to be so intense all the time.

Vegans can be hunters too, did you know that?

Oh, you don’t believe me? Well, let’s look at the evidence…

1. Quite a haul.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

2. He means business.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

3. Starting ’em young.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

4. The cat helped out, too.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

5. Triple Trouble.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

6. He will now prepare a feast.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

7. Out in the wilderness.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

8. Look at the size of those things!

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

9. Delicious and nutritious.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

10. Smashing pumpkins.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

11. The Carrot Hunter.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

12. Going vegan with his trusty friend.

Photo Credit: pleated-jeans

Yuk yuk yuk yuk! Pretty funny, huh?

Are you a vegan?

If so, tell us how long you’ve been at it and how it’s affected your life in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

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You Might Change the Way You Look at Spiders When You Realize They Have Tiny Paws

The fact that some spiders (a very small number, but still) have venom that could injure and kill a person means that human beings are evolutionarily coded to fear them. It’s self-preservation, survival of the species, and all of that.

Personally, I’m not afraid of spiders, per se…but I also don’t like to be surprised by them, and finding an especially large on inside my house still causes me to jump.

P. irminia. 5-inch sub-adult female

There are, of course, many good things about spiders, and a number of reasons for taking care with the ones who aren’t going to hurt you. They kill bugs, of course, but especially the ones that could harm you, like ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests.

If you need more help convincing your baser instincts to leave your eight-legged friend to their own devices, it turns out they have adorable (yes, I said it) wee paws on their many feet.

A spider paw is technically called a tarsus, and they’re easiest to spot on the 900 different species of tarantulas living among us – and below are 12 pictures that might just make you go awwwwww. Maybe.

12. These pictures make it obvious how they knit those webs!

Aphonopelma chalcodes tarsal claws

11. Tell me you don’t want to pet that!

10. They look like they have a secret handshake.

P. antinous - holding on to my thumb

9. Look at the underside omg.

8. I think Spiderman is doing it wrong.

Tarantula feet

7. And there are EIGHT of them!

6. It sort of looks like the Lorax?

Tarantula (Selenocosmia sp.) - DSC_8252

5. Those COLORS.

Poecilotheria rufilata male, 6-inch, foot

4. Guys I am just completely fascinated.

Pterinochilus murinus, adult female

3. It’s just so tiny.

Amazing tarantula tools for toes

2. I never imagined they would look like this.

B. albopilosum, mature male, 5-inches

1. This one looks positively velvety.

Heteroscodra maculata tarsal claw

 

Well, what’s the verdict? Are you still scared of spiders?

If your kid wants a tarantula, maybe don’t just say no right away – think instead of seeing these furry spider beans up close!

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15 People Share What Their Ted Talks Would Be About

Ted Talks have been all the rage for quite soem time, but have you ever thought about what yours would be about?

Food? Sports? Crying?

No, wait, that last one is mine, so please don’t steal it.

People took to Twitter to offer their thoughts. Here are Ted Talks summed up in one simple tweet.

1. Is that right?

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. Survival

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Passionate

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. Think about it

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. Okay

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. Bread bread

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. Thanks

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. The leader

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Not sure about this one

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. Emojis, explained

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. True

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. See above

Photo Credit: Twitter

13. Wow

Photo Credit: Twitter

14. I like this one

Photo Credit: Twitter

15. Taking a stand

Photo Credit: Twitter

What’s your Ted Talk about?

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Grumpy Cat’s Successor Has Been Found – and She Might be Even Grumpier

No one can ever replace Grumpy Cat, but the folks at Bored Panda got the scoop of the decade with their expose on her spiritual successor.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about OG Grumpy – whose real name was Tardar Sauce – the angry-looking kitty who took the internet by storm when her pictures were posted to Reddit back in 2012. Fun fact; she actually shared a manager with Keyboard Cat, and actually starred in a Lifetime movie where she was voiced by Aubrey Plaza.

Tardar Sauce unfortunately passed away in 2019, but her memes will be with us always. And they may have company from some very grumpy pics of Meow Meow, a Taiwanese cat who was introduced to the internet by her human Clare.

If your first thought is “Reincarnation???” you should probably note that, according to Clare, Meow Meow may well actually be older than the late great Grumpy Cat.

Just when I thought I understood how cat souls work…

Clare attributes Meow Meow’s angry aura to the “Batman”-like mask of dark fur around her eyes, and the internet seems to agree.

Like Tardar before her, Meow Meow is actually very sweet in person.

Her hobbies include bird-watching and massaging her human awake every morning.

She is sincerely grumpy about at least one thing, though: food. She hates pretty much all of it that doesn’t come from one specific can.

“She’s tried nearly everything but she only likes that one,” Clara said.

Facebook has been quick to offer their hot takes on this newcomer’s place in the meme-iverse.

Source: Bored Panda

Because is she really grumpy, or….

Source: Bored Panda

Some think Grumpy Cat would approve…

Source: Bored Panda

But what do you think? Is Meow Meow up to the task of carrying on the legacy of Grumpy Cat?

Give us your verdict in the comments.

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This Fast Food Restaurant Has Great Customer Service to Go with Its Legendary Fried Chicken

Fast food is all about consistency in taste, value, and customer service. And when it comes to the latter, one fast-food titan stands above the rest: Chick-fil-A. 

No matter how long the drive thru line extends or how jammed the lobby gets with hungry kids, Chick-fil-A employees treat customers with tremendous respect and hospitality. And that’s not just me talking out of loyalty to their tenders.

According to the America’s Best Customer Service 2020 report by Newsweek and Statista, Chick-fil-A has the best fast-food customer service in America. They took home the title by edging out In-N-Out Burger and Whataburger.

The report was based on survey results from more than 20,000 U.S. customers that measured categories including range of services, accessibility, quality of communication and professional competence.

For anyone who has dined at Chick-fil-A, the first-place finish should come as no surprise. In fact, the restaurant finished fifth overall in the survey, with a score of 9.08. Considering the survey spanned more than 160 different categories of business, this was a major feather in the cap for one of the most recognizable brands in its industry.

Disney Cruise Line, Neiman Marcus, The Ritz-Carlton and Edward Jones were the only companies who outperformed Chick-fil-A in the scoresheet. Not bad for a place that’s synonymous with clever commercials featuring cows encouraging us to “Eat More Chickin.”

Providing excellent customer service is one of the main reasons the restaurant has become such a significant player in the fast-food game. Of course, it all starts from the top down. Founder Samuel Truett Cathy puts it best, stating, “We should be about more than just selling chicken. We should be a part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve.”

Though Cathy passed away in 2014, it’s safe to say his legacy and vision lives on.

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This is How to Correctly Pronounce February

We’re all adults here, and yet, when confronted with the name of the second month of the year, we are left uncertain and sounding out syllables.

For the last time, is it feb-roo-air-ee or feb-yoo-air-ee?

According to both the Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries, both the common and proper pronunciations are considered correct.

If you’re sitting there humpfh-ing about, wondering what the world is coming to, well, there’s more to the declaration than simple laziness (this time). Because it turns out people have been dropping that extra ‘r’ for at least the last 150 years.

The practice of dropping one sound when a similar sound is very close to it even has a name: dissimilation. And it crops up in more than a few languages.

There are more than a few other examples in English – su(r)prise, gove(r)nor, pa(r)ticular, be(r)serk, paraphe(r)nalia, cate(r)pillar, entrep(r)eneur, p(r)erogative, interp(r)etation – and I’d be shocked if you pronounce those “extra” r’s in all of those words.

I’d be even more surprised if people busted your balls for leaving them out, too.

People get their dander up about lib(r)ary and Feb(r)uary, though, so it’s nice to know you’ve got Merriam-Webster on your side the next time the grammar police come knocking.

Proper pronunciation or not, rest assured that people know what you’re trying to say – and about half of the world has the same problem with this blasted month, too.

February is the worst, longest, farthest-from-Christmas-AND-summer month around, so who really cares if we say its name right, anyway?

Not me.

You?

Let me know in the comments!

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People Share Why They Lost Their Virginity to a Prostitute

Prostitution is completely legal in some parts of the world, so I guess it’s only natural that a certain segment of the population loses their virginity that way.

Still, I think it’s pretty unusual and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who did it for the first time with a “professional.”

But these people sure did…here are their stories.

1. The lack of love…

Photo Credit: Whisper

2. No kidding…

Photo Credit: Whisper

3. Hey, good for you!

Photo Credit: Whisper

4. You could just lie?

Photo Credit: Whisper

5. Get it out of the way.

Photo Credit: Whisper

6. You do you.

Photo Credit: Whisper

7. Mission accomplished.

Photo Credit: Whisper

8. That’s pretty depressing.

Photo Credit: Whisper

9. All alone.

Photo Credit: Whisper

10. Mixed emotions.

Photo Credit: Whisper

Hey, let’s not be judgmental okay? We’re just here to learn and observe.

Actually, we do want to hear what you think about this? Is it wrong? Fine? No big deal?

Tell us what you think in the comments!

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This Kid’s Petition to Move Super Bowl to a Saturday Is Gaining Some Traction

As you are well aware, football largely takes place on Sunday afternoons, but there are Monday night games, Thursday night games, and the playoffs already utilize Saturdays in order to get games done in single weekends.

One fan has had enough, and he’s not letting the fact that he’s just a kid stop him from trying to change the status quo.

Photo Credit: Change.org

New York teen Frank Ruggeri started a petition on Change.org asking that we make Super Bowl Saturday a thing, and he’s already amassed 33,000 signatures with his practical argument – who wants to have their enjoyment of the day hampered by worries of having to get up early the next day?

He also argues that revenue, ticket prices, visitors, and TV ratings would increase if people didn’t have to go to sleep early.

Though CNN points out that the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 prohibits the NFL from holding games on Fridays and Saturdays so that high school and college footballs can have their time on the air, the fact that those seasons are over by February means the NFL could move the game if they wanted to.

Despite the fact that a 2019 survey revealed that 17.2 million workers said they might call in sick the Monday after, don’t look for the NFL to give in anytime soon. They’ve had plenty of time to run the numbers themselves, after all, and if they figured there was money to be made in moving to Saturdays, they already would have done it.

One institution that’s probably glad is the Church, since a Saturday night Super Bowl would probably kill that Sunday’s attendance.

The way it is, everyone shows up to church on Super Bowl Sunday – it’s one last chance to ask for a little help for your team.

It never hurts to ask, after all.

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