Emma Jean Nolan is a photographer from Brisbane who was present at the home birth of Harper, who is part Maori, on January 2. While mom Jolene Spies was in the shower, Nolan just totally went for it and twisted his little umbilical cord to form the word "love." She posted the picture along with some interesting info on the significance of the placenta in Maori culture:
As a Maori baby his placenta will now be returned to the land.
The word 'whenua' relates to the placenta and to the land. Whenua (placenta) is returned to the whenua (land) with the pito (umbilical cord) the link between the newborn and papatuanuku (mother earth). With this affinity established, each individual fulfils the role of curator, for papatuanuku (mother earth), which remains life long.
So cool! Though Nolan did admit to The Daily Mail that she'd been planning a shot like this for awhile, but hadn't found a baby with an umbilical cord long enough. That sounds very creepy, but her search did result in an awesome picture, so whatever. The placenta is now going to be given a proper burial under a Tortora tree on a family farm near Auckland. It's nice that Harper will someday be able to visit his placenta and say, "Thanks for helping me get a viral start in life."
While the Star Wars films depict the inner battle between the light and dark side occurring in adolescence and beyond, this young baby is already decisively pro-darkness. Micah Hayman filmeda young Kylo Ren his son going from sobs to contentment thanks to the peppy tune of John Williams's "Imperial March."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTAJWrTf_Hw
Those wide eyes are dreaming up plans of building a structure even bigger than Starkiller Base. Maybe he'll be able to figure out how to finally get rid of the weak spot. (JK, that'll never happen).
Continue on with your training, little Vader-to-be. Soon your powers will rival Ren's.
It was the first week of the new year, and unseasonable warmth turned to bitter cold across the continental US, as if to say "Yup, the party's over!" Tweeters complained about the weather, sought relief on TV and Netflix, broke their New Year's resolutions and played Powerball. These are the Top 43 Tweets Of The Week!
A reporter from WIVB in Buffalo, New York, had an adorable encounter at a convenience store Thursday. She was reporting from the store because a second prize Powerball ticket worth $1 million had been sold there, and the woman who purchased the ticket, 81-year-old Amy McGavis, happened to claim it while the news crew was there with cameras rolling. It's always great to see someone win the lottery that deserves it, like the unemployed mom of four who hit the jackpot.
And true to form of being a sweet old woman, she gave hug to everyone when she receives the news.
Talk about lucky timing! We happened to be there, and rolling, as this woman found out she had won the $1 million second place prize in last night's #Powerball. The full story will air tonight at 5:15.
The store owner reports that McGavis would like to put a new roof on her house. That's why she deserved to win—she's not going to blow it on sports cars or boats. Hopefully she does treat herself to a few fun luxuries, because everyone will still be rooting for her.
Molly Galbraith is a trainer who helps people get in the shape they want. As such, she probably spends a lot of time thinking about, looking at and analyzing bodies. Especially her own, which is a pretty nice body by any standard. But, if Hollywood testimonials have taught us anything, it's that even the world's most beautiful women feel critical about their appearances. Galbraith posted her "no resolutions" resolution on January 1, and it's been shared over 15,000 times:
This not a before picture.
This is not an after picture.
This just happens to be what my body looks like on a random Tuesday in December of 2015 — it's a LIFE picture.
This is a body that loves protein and vegetables and queso and ice cream.
This is a body that loves bent presses and pull-ups and deadlifts and sleep.
This is a body that has been abused with fast food and late nights and stress.
This is a body that has been pushed to the brink of leanness in figure competitions and maximum strength in powerlifting meets.
This is a body that begged for mercy when it was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and PCOS.
This is a body that has been called:
- too fat
- too thin
- too masculine
- too strong
- too weak
- too big
- too skinny
...all within the same week.
This body has been publicly evaluated, judged, and criticized, and those judgments have been used to determine my level of skill as a coach and a trainer, and my worth as a person, both positively and negatively.
Some people say they would "kill to have this body."
Others say they would "kill themselves if they had this body."
(Yes, unfortunately that's actually a thing humans say to one another.)
This is a body that I spent too much time, energy, and mental space wishing would look differently.
And today?
Today this is a body that is loved, adored, and cherished by the only person whose opinion matters — ME.
This is the first year in as long as I can remember that I have made NO resolutions to change the way my body looks.
This is a kind of freedom I didn’t think I’d ever experience, and it feels really, really good.
Of course, there are probably people looking at Galbraith's body and shaking their damn heads: she can sit back on her laurels, but some of us have to hit the gym for at least the first two weeks of January before giving up.
La Guardia Cross is a new dad that had a very interesting interview with his 14-moth-old daughter, Amalah. It seems that although she's only a toddler, she is definitely in command of the household. In fact, her answers reveal that she may be an evil mastermind, pulling the strings on her hapless puppet parents. Sometimes what she says sounds more like actual words than this baby who supposedly says "I love you." She's also enjoying the free ride without pulling her weight:
https://youtu.be/8hSEus9jvHc
Looks like she can enjoy not paying rent for as long as she likes. And if she so chooses, she'll be an outstanding social media star when she grows up. Just like her old man.
The toddler was rocking a diaper, because he was in this runaway mission for the long haul.
Drivers saw the boy on US 19 in Crystal River, and two very concerned people pulled over to see what was up. According to Danny Miller, who snapped photos and talked with local station WFLA, the kid wasn't happy to be stopped. He was eager to fulfill the universal childhood dream of riding off into the sunset.
Glory days.
After about ten minutes, the boy's father showed up and took him home. The dad was reportedly taking a shower when the boy took his leave.
Chances are that's the last time this kid will ride his Wheels for a long while.
Salma Hayek is an incredibly beautiful woman who managed through most of her life to have a really tiny waist and also famously large boobs. That still seems to be true, but not to Salam Hayek's critical eyes. On Thursday, she posted a #tbt of herself in a bikini before she had kids, writing:
This was my waist before pregnancy. Now it's not the same but my life is so much better. Esta era mi cintura antes de embarazarme pero ahora mi vida es mucho mejor.
Here's what she looked like before:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAP4R7TsFv0/
And here's what she looked like six weeks ago, which seems exactly the same, but we'll need more bikini pics to confirm:
It's refreshing that Hayek is openly like, "I was hotter before, but whatever," instead of pretending she prefers stretch marks. It makes it much more believable when she adds that whatever is going on under her dress, the changes are totally worth it:
When Mark Ruffalo went on The Tonight Showlast night to promote his film Spotlight and be adorably bashful, Fallon took this as an opportunity to embarrass the 48-year-old actor. After chatting about how Ruffalo's kids have no interest in seeing him playing a dad or romancing a lady who isn't their mom (cute), Fallon pointed out that with these parameters Ruffalo can show his kids a Clearasil spot he did in 1989. Joke's on Fallon, because Ruffalo and his baby face killed it in this commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EmKvKANWco
Ruffalo's got the vapid stare down. And decades later, he's still running away from things really well.
The Powerball jackpot has gotten up to $800 million—the largest U.S. lottery prize ever—giving you and your coworkers something to talk about besides how cold it's gotten. Every time the prize on the lotto gets this big, tons of people play, and the impossible odds get even more impossible (1 in 292.2 million, in fact).
However, if you're going to play, you might as well keep this in mind: some lottery numbers are luckier than others, historically. Though every number theoretically has an equal chance of being picked, some numbers happen to get picked more often than others. It couldn't hurt to play them, probably, because the lottery is basically magic, right?
Ricky Gervais is returning as Golden Globes host at Sunday's ceremony, and viewers are gearing up for a night that'll be more roasting than toasting. Having hosted the show in 2010, 2011, and 2012, Gervais has established a brutally honest, no-holds-barred approach to taking on the biggest celebrities who are right there in the room with him. Get warmed up for the roast with Gervais' best, most brutal jokes of Golden Globes past.
The shrug pretty much sums it up.
20. On NBC's viewership.
"I'm going to be making most of this opportunity... I'm not used to these sort of viewer figures. Let's face it: nor is NBC." (2010)
19. On plastic surgery.
"On a serous note, just looking at all the faces here reminds me of some of the great work that's been done this year...by cosmetic surgeons." (2010)
18. On Tim Allen's career.
"What can I say about our next two presenters? The first is an actor, producer, writer, and director whose movies have grossed over $3.5 billion at the box office. He's won two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes for his powerful and varied performances starring in such films as Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Castaway, Apollo 13, and Saving Private Ryan. The other is Tim Allen." (2011)
17. On Jay Leno.
"Let's get on with it before NBC replaces me with Jay Leno." (2010)
16. On actors and writers.
"This next category is a bit of a downer, to be honest. It's for writing. We all know writers get way too much credit in Hollywood. And that's due to the generosity of actors sometimes mentioning them. What would writers do without actors?...It's not the words you're saying, but how good you look saying them." (2010)
15. On Mel Gibson.
"I like a drink as much as the next man... unless the next man is Mel Gibson." (2010)
14. On Charlie Sheen.
"It's going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast." (2011)
13. On The Tourist.
"It was a big year for 3D movies. Toy Story, Despicable Me, Tron. It seemed like everything this year was three-dimensional. Except the characters in The Tourist." (2011)
12. On the Sex and the City ladies.
"Nothing for Sex and the City 2? I was sure the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster." (2011)
11. On Hugh Hefner.
"Talking of The Walking Dead, congratulations to Hugh Hefner, who is getting married at the age of 84 to 24-year-old beauty Crystal Harris. When asked why she was marrying him, she said, 'He lied about his age. He told me he was 94'. Don't worry, hold out... Just don't look at it when you touch it." (2011)
10. On Bruce Willis.
"Please welcome Ashton Kutcher's dad, Bruce Willis!" (2011)
9. On Johnny Depp.
"Please welcome the man who will wear literally anything Tim Burton tells him to: Johnny Depp." (2012)
8. On Melissa McCarthy.
"She made her mark in comedy this summer by defecating into a sink. Amazingly, that's still less demeaning than what most of you have done to make it in show business." (2012)
7. On Tom Cruise.
"Also not nominated, I Love You Phillip Morris, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay. So the complete opposite of some famous Scientologists, then. My lawyers helped with that joke." (2011)
6. On J.Lo.
"The next two presenters are charming, funny, and down to earth. He's Alec from the Rock, she's just Jenny from the Block, if the block in question is that one of Rodeo Drive between Cartier and Prada. Please welcome Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Lopez." (2011)
5. On Steve Carell.
"[This next presenter] got his big break when I cast him in a remake of a show that I created called The Office. He's now leaving that show and killing a cash cow for the both of us. Please welcome... the ungrateful Steve Carell!" (2011)
4. On The Globes vs. The Oscars.
"For those who don't know, the Golden Globes are just like the Oscars, but without all of that... esteem. The Golden Globes is to the Oscars what Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton, basically. A bit louder, a bit trashier, a bit drunker, and a bit more easily bought." (2012)
3. On Jodie Foster.
"And I'm not to libel anyone. And I must not mention Mel Gibson this year. Not his private life, his politics, his recent films, and especially notJodie Foster's Beaver. I haven't seen it myself. I spoken to a lot of guys here, they haven't seen it either. That doesn't mean it's not any good." (2012)
2. On Robert Downey Jr.
"He has done all of those films, but many of you in this room probably know him best from such facilities as The Betty Ford Clinic and the Los Angeles County Jail. Robert Downey Jr!" (2011)
RDJ's response.
1. On Angelina Jolie.
"Actors aren't just loved here in Hollywood, they are loved the world over. You could be in the third world and get a glimpse of a Hollywood star and it could make you feel a little bit better. You could be a little Asian child with no possessions and no money. But you could see a picture of Angelina Jolie and you'd think, ‘Mummy!'" (2010)
This is a sad story with a happy ending, so stick it out. Kings SPCA-Rescue is a no-kill shelter in California that had gotten a bunch of emails about a dog abandoned on the side of the road near Fresno. They were unable to respond until Monday, but believe that the dog had been outside since at least Saturday. When they arrived at the scene, the dog was clearly cold and hungry. Even though he was wagging his tail in a friendly manner, it took them several hours to coax him near with food. In that time, one of the shelter workers built up quite a head of steam towards the person who had left this good guy alone. They wrote an open letter that could burn your face off with the fire of its righteous indignation:
Dear The Callous POS owner of this dog,Today we noticed a couple of emails from people that had noticed your dog that...
What really broke the author's heart was how damn loyal the dog (now named Banjo) was to his owner. He didn't want to leave the place he'd been told to stay, no matter how rough the conditions. Of course, there's no way to know if Banjo's owner really told him to stay or just left him there, or if Banjo ended up there for another reason entirely. But whatever the reason, the author of this letter is not happy. They wrote:
He waited for you.
He hadn't left the place you made him stay. He was being a good dog. He stayed close to the last place he saw his favorite person in the world. He thought you were coming back. He was watching every car that would come down the road hoping it was you coming back for him. Your dog has been freezing, hungry, and scared for days because you are a heartless piece of crap.
He waited for you.
He was so hungry that he was eating sticks. Nice people had stopped to drop off food but he was still so hungry and confused. But even with food sitting in front of him he knew he had to wait for you to come back.
He waited for you.
He isn't a bad dog. He is a very good dog. You were a bad friend. You abandoned someone that would give his life for you. Someone who doesn't care how long you stayed away at work. Someone who is just as happy to see you if u just go outside to check the mail or if you leave for days. Someone who would lick the tears off your cheeks and the leftover food from your plate when u were done eating.
He won't be waiting for you anymore.
They describe the lengths the workers had to go to to get Banjo back to the shelter and how he cried for his old owner the whole way. The writer finishes with this curse and promise:
You don't deserve this amazing puppy. You don't deserve any dog at all.
My dog will forget about you. He will find a good home and will get the love he deserves. He will know what it's like to have a real home.
I don't care who you are or your excuse as to why you abandoned my dog. It's probably a BS reason anyways. You are a scum bag. I pray your year is filled with karma and bad health.
The post has gone viral, and Banjo is being well cared for with donations and loving volunteers. The comments have exploded and amongst them is a good reminder for anyone who wants to help a dog like Banjo:
