Lost in Translation

I so wish I had a Droid so I could get this new Google animal translation app.

They explain how the algorithms work in a cute video:



Update: April Fools, suckaz!

This Little Piggie Did a Nice Thing

Oh, you guys. This tale of pig friendship had me tearing up at my desk. NERD ALERT!

11-year-old pig Angie was living out her golden years on Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York. She was very social but after her pig buddies died off she withdrew, stopped eating and even stopped walking around in the pasture! Poor little gal. Oh, and she had arthritis, too. Crying yet?

The nice people at Farm Sanctuary tried introducing her to other pigs but she never took to any of them until Fiona came along. Fiona was a Babe-esque piglet full of gumption and stick-to-it-iveness, and Angie accepted her right away. And they became BFFs!

For almost a year Angie ran around with Fiona like a much younger pig, rolling around in the mud and just generally having buddy times (as evidenced below).



Angie eventually died, but in her final days Fiona stuck right by her, sleeping right up against her. (I love it when animals do that! It is their best behavior.)

Sad story! :( But also happy. Sniiiiiff.

Domin-OMG

I present to you a Japanese game show in which people coax different animals (including an anteater, who are my FAVES!) through a walkway surrounded on both sides by precarious dominoes. SUSPENSEFUL and exciting. But not really fair to the tortoise, since he's so big. They should have given him more room to maneuver.

Best parts:
- When they lift up the wall to reveal the animal.
- The armadillo's freaky right claw/foot/toe/whatever.
- The armadillo replay.
- Lullaby music and snoozy speech bubble for the anteater.

Pigletlets

Within the span of 3 minutes this morning, two coworkers asked me if I'd heard of "teacup pigs." Have YOU? They're only the biggest little craze sweeping the nation, HELLO!

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Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Piggie in the Tub

This little piggie got pushed out of prime suckling/warm mama-nuzzling territory, so the farmer put him in a little piggie floatie and gave him a hot bath so he wouldn't get cold.

This video is so dear it almost makes me want to stop eating bacon. Cute little guy!

Little Pig-chers Have Big Ears

This pile of piglets is too much. They're asleep, but they flap their ears whenever they hear a sound.

The Loneliest Pig

Afghanistan has ONE PIG. And they've quarantined him because of swine flu fears!

Hey Kabul Zoo! Didn't you guys get the memo? Everyone forgot about swine flu last week. It's totally not a thing anymore.

Anyway, they built the pig a little room even though there's no chance of anyone actually catching swine flu from him.

Poor little lonely, sad pig.

Here he is in the days when he could roam free:

BFFs: Barnyard Friends Forever

William the piglet and Charles the rabbit are buddies. They live at Pennywell Farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon, in the UK. (Doesn't that sort of look like "Breakfastleigh"? Such a place should exist.)



William was moved to a pen near the rabbit hutch and started following Charles around. Chris Murray, the pair's owner, says, "William is far keener on the friendship than Charles, but Charles is tolerant, even when his food gets taken."



Charles is really looking tee'd off in these photos, but in a bemused sort of way. These two are like a gruff, secretly-kindhearted old man and an energetic young upstart. Oh my god, they're like Babe and Farmer Hogget, if Farmer Hogget were a rabbit!

A Pig So Tiny He CAN'T WALK UP STAIRS

Kingsford Goes to the Beach - The funniest videos clips are here

Best part: 1:03.
Second best part: 1:34. That cat is NOT feeling it.
Third best: 3:02. He tries to swim IN THE OCEAN!

How did I not know about this???

ZOOBORNS, people. ZOOBORNS. As in newborns at zoos. As in, the best blog idea ever.









It's sorted by animal type. You're welcome. And an extra special thanks to Anna for the tip.

That'll do, Pig. That'll do.

Hey guys, remember how good Babe was? What a movie.

I was reminded of it last night when I was trying to think of something heartwarming and holiday-y to rent for Thanksgiving. That plucky little guy just wanted to herd sheep! So he wouldn't get butchered! Cute lil thing.

Just now, I started watching this clip of Farmer Hogget singing "If I Had Words" to Babe when he's sick and (NERD ALERT) I had to stop watching it because I was crying so much! Gotta keep it together.

The comments on this clip on YouTube are so good. A sampling:

Dallouez

People forgot this great part and children who would never know what a cool movie this is. We need more movies like this after all how many times can Jet Li save the day or get killed.

Reply: ESMR

not as many as Babe

letschill99

me jo dillon and lucy harries acted this out in our p.e changing rooms at lunch today!

QueenAreTheBest

Luv this track my favourite part of the film. It was on telly today lol so many memories

So many memories, indeed. Can't wait to watch it this weekend! I forgot it was nominated for Best Picture back in '95. Well deserved!

Also, if you've never seen the sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, you should totally get on that. It is INSANE. It's so inappropriate for children. It was written and directed by the guy who directed Mad Max. It takes place in a dystopian urban setting and it's visually stunning.

It also made me cry more than I've cried at any movie (even more than White Squall or The Man Without a Face, which for some reason really struck a chord with my loser 10-year-old self). I know how pathetic that sounds, but here are two things that happen in the movie:

1) a dog almost hangs himself (by accident)!
2) a Jack Russell terrier named Flealick who ALREADY CAN'T USE HIS BACK LEGS and has a TINY WHEELCHAIR gets dragged down the street by an 18-wheeler. It is so upsetting. I had to turn it off and compose myself. (It's on YouTube if you must see it but it's very upsetting.)

Anyway, you should totally rent that too. Mickey Rooney is CRAZY in it. And there are some really good orangutans.



Happy Thanksgiving all!