Category: Worldwide

Border collies may not officially have the title of the smartest dog breed, but no one can deny their intelligence. While some dogs are lovable oafs with seemingly few marble rolling around in their heads, border collies will amaze you with what they can do.

Recently, a video of a border collie creating its own ball fetching game by dropping a ball repeatedly at the top of the stairs and then running down to catch it at the bottom had people impressed. But another video of a border collie shows a whole other level of brain power—and jaw-dropping ability to dance.

That’s right. Dance. With specific choreography and everything.

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A video shared by petland111 on TikTok shows a woman in a dance in a starting position while Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feeling” plays. A border collie begins to step towards her, and quickly we can see that it’s stepping across its body in a deliberate…well, dance.

Watching the rest of the dance unfold, it’s clear the dog has had an amazing trainer. But also, what? How?!?

Watch:

@petland111

#animalsoftiktok #dog #foryou #viral #fyp #tiktok #talent #wow

“Brilliant! Only a border collie. Best dogs ever,” wrote one commenter.

“I think this is the most extraordinary thing I have ever seen,” wrote another.

“Well, if you don’t have sheep, a choreographed dance will do,” someone quipped.

“Beautiful, both the human and the pup. Love that jump!” wrote another.

Oh, right, there was a human dancer in there as well. She’s gorgeous and graceful, but it’s hard to keep your eyes off the dancing doggo.

Never underestimate what you can train a border collie to do.

Should Halloween trick-or-treating have an age limit?

Some seem to think so, arguing that anyone past the age of thirteen has less sincere joy for the holiday, and merely uses trick-or-treating as a candy grabbing “scam”…thus potentially ruining the experience for the littles.

Certain cities have even implemented laws to enforce an age cut-off somewhere between 12-16-years-old, depending on the location. Punishment for breaking these rules vary, but in Chesapeake, Virginia it included up to six months of jail time up until 2019.

And yet, when we asked the Upworthy community this question, there was a very different answer.

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Seemingly across the board, after scouring through thousands of comments, the resounding opinion was that Halloween was for all ages.

“I think trick or treating could be a lifelong adventure.”

“There is no age cut off. It’s so wonderful to see community out interacting no matter what your age!”

“Anyone who comes to my door on Halloween saying trick or treat can have a treat. Adults supervising young children, teens who chose to do something wholesome over doing something destructive, special needs adults whose mind is younger than their body, etc. If a Snickers or a pencil decorated with black cats will make someone happy, let’s do it.”

“I think if people are trick or treating and staying out of trouble who cares how old they are.”

“A kid that is older that is trick-or-treating means that they are enjoying their innocence and not off doing something bad, wrong or illegal. Let them enjoy the little things while they can:)”

And it’s not just our readers who feel this way. According to a 2021 YouGov survey, about one in four Americans agree that children can never be too old to go trick-or-treating.

Even experts share the opinion that there is no real harm in letting older children, teens, college kids, etc., participate in going door-to-door, so long as they are respectful.

And to that end, a few suggestions. Lizzie Post, co-president at the etiquette blog Emily Post Institute, recommends that big kids make little kids the “priority,” noting that they might want to steer clear of costumes that would seem too scary or uncomfortable for small kids, saying please and thank you while taking candy (be the example!) and generally leaning into the more friendly side of Halloween, rather than the ghoulish one. (TIME)

via GIPHY

Bottom line: If dressing up and asking for candy helps someone hold onto a bit of that elusive magic for just a little while longer, why not let them, so long as they are being kind?

Childhood goes by too fast—one minute you’re a toddler and the world is big and exciting and the next you’re thrust into the mundane throes of adulthood. But that inner kid never really goes away. And maybe, just maybe, seeing another big kid out and about on All Hallows Eve offers a gentle reminder to let ours free once in a while. Yes, even now.

The old saying goes, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” and it’s true. When you love what you do, a job isn’t work at all. It can be as enjoyable as your favorite hobby while making money at the same time.

Loving what you do is also great for your health. Studies show that people who love their work live longer, and those who are constantly stressed at their jobs have a significantly higher risk of heart disease.

Bob Rohloff is a beautiful example of the benefits of having a job you love. At 91, he opened a new business, Bob’s Old Fashioned Barbershop, in Hortonville, Wisconsin.

Rohloff started cutting hair in 1948, and 60 years later, he retired with his wife, Marian, in Arizona, but it didn’t last long. After a few months, he “unretired” and went back to cutting hair. In 2010, the couple moved back to Wisconsin, and Rohloff cut hair at the Hortonville Family Barbershop.

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“Retirement isn’t that easy,” Rohloff told CNBC. “You need to stay active in something, whether it’s a hobby or a job, and I happened to enjoy my job very much … it’s fun coming into the shop; I like to do it, and I feel good, so why stop?”

Rohloff estimates he’s given over 100,000 haircuts in his life.

— (@)

Fate intervened when 55-year-old Mark Karweick, who had recently returned to Wisconsin from Michigan, was introduced to Rohloff. After talking to each other for 90 minutes, they decided to open up a shop together.

The team’s new shop is a throwback to an old-school barbershop, complete with a 100-year-old chair that Rohloff jokes is the only thing in the palace older than him. “There aren’t that many old-fashioned shops left in the country, and we’re gonna try and keep it that way,” Rohloff told Spectrum News. The shop also boasts furniture relocated from an old barber shop in Michigan.

The prices are old-fashioned, too. A standard cut is just $14 and $12 for seniors.

Rohloff is a true believer in the idea that the key to good health and longevity is to keep doing what you love. “Sitting in a La-Z-Boy, that’s no way to live. Most people got their health issues, and they either give up, or they think they can’t do anything after a certain age, but they can,” Karweick said.

There’s a lot of truth to Rohloff’s philosophy. Colin Milner, founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging, tells Fortune that following the principles of Active Aging can extend longevity and quality of life.

“Physical activity is just one of the many elements that makes up a person,” Milner says. “It’s just as important that we are socially connected and that we are intellectually active.” The keys to being an “active ager” are to stay positive, socially connected, involved with community groups, curious and calm. It’s also important to eat right and stay away from tobacco.

When asked about his advice for living a long, happy life, Rohloff believes in the importance of being active as well. “Don’t quit. I don’t think you will enjoy yourselves. Stay active in something, whether it’s a hobby or a job, but you got to stay active,” Rohloff said.

Humans have been making music since before recorded history. Phoenix, Arizona’s Musical Instrument Museum has over 4,200 musical instruments from around the world on display, and it’s fascinating to see all the creative ways people have figured out how to make music over millennia. From turtle shell drums to animal bladder-based wind instruments, the ingenuity humans display in the pursuit of melody, harmony and rhythm is remarkable. It seems we can make music out of almost anything.

Case in point: Danish composer Peter Bastian’s plastic straw flute.

When you hear that someone made a flute out of a straw, you might think, “Yeah, I’ve done that, too.” But you’ve likely never seen one like this. Bastian played it like a double reed instrument, and it’s surprisingly enjoyable to hear the sound he could pull out of it.

In this video, Bastian displays several different sounds and styles, which range from oboe-like to medieval flute to bagpipes, so be sure to watch to the end to get the full range. Watch:

“Here is an extraordinary example of the quality of the musician being more vital than the quality of the instrument. Outstanding contrast in timbre!” wrote on commenter on YouTube.

“Not only is it a straw, it’s absolutely beautifully played, almost an oboe from nothing! Wonderful, I love the sound and the music,” wrote another.

“In 1995 I sat a few meters from him in an auditorium at my music conservatory, listening to him playing on a straw,” shared another. “It’s hard to understand how Bastian could fill up the entire hall with such incredible resonance. And at the same time making it so beautiful.”

According to IMDB, Bastion, who died in 2017, spent nine years studying physics but found himself increasingly drawn to music. Both of his parent were opera singers, and while he played multiple instruments, he primarily played bassoon and clarinet. His book, “Ind I Musikken” (“Into the Music” in English) became a bestseller and he was known for his passionate lectures on music—as well as the folk tunes played on his straw flute.

At 2:30 a.m., actor Matthew McConaughey woke up from a dream with a jingle in his head. He got up, started writing it down, and just like that, a children’s book was born.

McConaughey’s picture book, “Just Because” may be for kids, but adults are finding inspiration for themselves in it as well. A viral video of McConaughey country-rapping the book’s couplets with talk show host Jimmy Fallon got people talking about the lessons on the book that speak to them the most, such as the person who said they wanted a “Just because I want one more doesn’t mean that I need two” sign for their refrigerator.

The “alright, alright, alright” actor and the famously musical Fallon start off just lowkey “reading” the book with a little background beat, but soon they each have a mic in their hands in a full-on performance.

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With lines like, “Just because you can pull it off, doesn’t mean that you should do it, and just because you fail that don’t mean that you blew it,” McConaughey and Fallon manage to make a sing-songy rap out of some genuinely good life lessons.

Watch:

@fallontonight

Jimmy and #MatthewMcConaughey rap their way through “Just Because”. #FallonTonight

So how did Matthew McConaughey end up writing a children’s book in the first place? The father of three told the hosts of Podcrushed that he’d been thinking a lot about fatherhood and how the lens of parenthood changes everything. He said when something consumes his mind, he tends to have dreams about it.

“This was a dream I had, and I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, I went and wrote it down. All I had was the jingle, ‘Just because they threw the dart don’t mean that it stuck, and just because I got some skills don’t mean that there’s no luck.’ It was a song. I woke up and I got this great Bob Dylan diddy: ‘Just because you’re wailing doesn’t meant that you’re a crier, just because I lied does not mean that I’m a liar.’ And so the hook was ‘just because,’ and I had the beat, and I just wrote from 2:30 to 6:30 in the morning. Went back, got in bed. Got up and looked at it and was like, ‘This is good. This is fun.'”

He showed the idea to his kids, who each had different takes on different couplets. The conversations that the “just because” statements sparked in his own family demonstrated the potential for the book to be a conversation starter for all parents and kids, which is what McConaughey hopes it will do.

It even offers food for thought for people without kids.

“I didn’t know I needed a pep talk from Matthew McConaughey, let alone in this form, but alright, alright,” wrote one commenter.

“It’s supposed to be a kids book but I also lowkey need this at 35,” wrote another.

“Would it be weird to buy this for my team at work?” asked one person.

“Just because I went straight to Amazon to buy this book don’t mean I’m a sucker,” wrote another.

McConaughey seems to have a hit on his hands. You can find “Just Because” on Amazon or support independent booksellers by purchasing through Bookshop.org.

Do you remember that song, Somebody’s Watching Me from the 80s? Well, this new foster dad is probably feeling just like the guy singing the song, except about a cat that has taken to stalking and harassing him around the house. Bill found himself a sudden cat dad when his friend became sick and unable to take care of her cat, Teddy.

While Teddy behaved like a normal cat in new surroundings, (hiding under the bed and making himself scarce), it didn’t take long before he started getting comfortable around Bill. Knowing that he was likely missing his mom and needed attention, the new foster dad gave Teddy all the chin scratches and love he could. It was beautiful…until the cat decided the attention he was getting was insufficient.

Now, instead of a finicky roommate, Bill had a stalker. Teddy follows the human wherever he is in the house to demand attention in pretty rude ways.

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“He became obsessed with me. I gave him tons of attention, I played with him all the time but it was just never enough. He always wanted more,” Bill tells The Dodo. “Anytime I would turn my attention to something other than him, he would scratch at me until I turned my attention back.”

There were not just sweet gentle pawings, Teddy essentially hit and slaps Bill, grabbing pieces of his clothing as he tries to walk by and biting at him. But there’s something there between the two and it’s looking a lot like a love story in the making. Maybe one that ends in a kitty restraining order but Teddy’s playful attacks have Bill a bit smitten.

Watch their love story unfold below:

Back in September of 2023, BBC newsreader Clare Runacres celebrated 20 years of marriage with her husband Mike Ramsden. Like many folks in the modern age, Runacres commemorated the milestone by posting a picture of her wedding day onto her social media pages.

While of course two decades of marriage is lovely in its own, it turns out there was even more for Runacres to celebrate. A “miracle,” in fact.

As she explained in her post, the picture was taken only six months after discovering that a cancer she had been diagnosed with during college had returned. What’s more, it was aggressive, with zero options for treatment.

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As she explained in her post, the picture was taken only six months after discovering that a cancer she had been diagnosed with during college had returned. What’s more, it was aggressive, with zero options for treatment.

The news prompted the couple to marry immediately, and despite the harrowing news, their special day was “beautiful,” Runacres noted, surrounded by love, tears, friends and dancing til dawn.

But you don’t have to take her word for it, the pure joy is evident in Runacre’s photos. Take a look.

See on Instagram

The BBC star told Daily Mail that although she did undergo surgery to remove the new cancer, just before her wedding day her doctors still told her she would probably only have six months to live.

Runacres and her beloved didn’t think they’d make it to their first anniversary. And now, at their 20th, can’t help but get emotional when she sees images from that day.

“Mikey, thank you for taking a chance on me. You’re the best person I know. You are my miracle,” Runacres concluded in her caption. “For those living with cancer – keep hoping, believing, dreaming.”

Indeed, Runacres’ touching post inspired optimism to those going through their own difficult health challenges—be it themselves or a loved one.

Take a look as what readers shared:

“This brings me so much joy! My 5 yo has cancer. There’s a 35% chance it will return by the time she’s a teen and the medications are not kind on her poor little body. To have hope in a future like this is beyond words.”

“I’m 4 years in remission of stage 3 bowel cancer, constantly worrying about it returning and reading your post has made my heart sing with hope.”

“As someone diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer 4 months ago, this post has brought me so much joy and hope. Thank you for sharing ❤️”

Others contributed. their own miracle stories. One person commented, “my mom got diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer…October 2009…She’s still here. Cancer free. I thank God for healing and using the doctors and treatment , her survival rate for 5 years was 1%.”

Another added, “I was given 48 hrs to live in fall of 2018. Jokes on them! I’m still here! Don’t ever give up!”

While feelings of hope might not technically change a person’s chance for survival (though many survivors have attributed a key part of their success to optimism), studies have shown that positive thought can at least improve the quality of life for someone dealing with cancer.

And really, on a more universal level, none of us really know how much time we have on this planet. We can do all the “right” things and still get sick. We can receive a life-threatening diagnosis and live on for years after. So hearing stories like this reminds us to treat each day as a precious milestone. And that maybe we shouldn’t hold off on the celebrating.

Father and daughter dances are a traditional staple of weddings. They tend to range somewhere between tearfully sweet and hilariously cringey. But sometimes, as was the case of Brittany Revell and her dad Kelly, they can be so freakin’ cool that millions of people become captivated.

Brittany and Kelly’s video, which amassed, I kid you not, more than 40 million views on TikTok, shows the pair grooving in sneakers (Brittany’s were white because, hello, wedding dress) to their “dance through the decades.”

It all began with Young MC’s “Bust a Move,” to give you a clear picture. And bust a move, they did.

Though the duo did a handful of iconic moves—the tootsie roll, the MC Hammer dance, the Carlton, just to name a few—“the dougie,” made famous by Cali Swag District, was the obvious fan favorite.

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Brittany is clearly no stranger to busting a move and showed off her skills, but Kelly had the audience (and the internet) absolutely floored. He not only nailed every move, but kept a constant grin from ear to ear.

“Reason number 1838329194920 why I love my dad,” Brittany wrote in her caption.

@bnrevell Reason number 1838329194920 why I love my dad. 🫶🏼🥹 #thatdougietho #fatherdaughter #weddingtok ♬ original sound – Brittany Revell

People in the comments were quick to profess love for Kelly as well. Here are some gems:

“WHO IS THIS LEGEND!”

“I aspire to this level of smooth.”

“Pops got moves!!🔥”

“He really is the main character 🤩🤩”

Others shared praise to both dancers for delivering an unforgettable performance.

“I would absolutely lose my mind if I saw this at a wedding,” wrote one person.

“This is probably THE best TikTok I’ve ever seen. You and your dad are legit rockstars!! Congratulations!!” added another.

Brittany told The Morning Show on Channel 7 that she and Kelly have been learning dances together “for fun in the living room” since she was little. “He has always had some rhythm, but I did not know he could pick up the moves like that,” she quipped. Hey, there’s always something new to learn about dear old dad.

Brittany also shared in an interview with NBC News that people were responding to more than just impressive choreography—it touched them on a heartfelt level.

“I think it’s kind of unique to see a dad of Asian descent be able to open up, let loose and just embrace their American child’s music and culture,” she said, adding that several people who didn’t have relationships with their fathers commended how “inspiring” it was to see the fun Brittany and Kelly created, encouraging them to “be better with their future kids.”

Weddings are a celebration of love, and that can extend beyond the bride and groom. This father expressed his love on the dance floor, and it’s giving us all something to smile about.

Odds are Brittany and her dad are gonna keep posting even more amazing dance videos. You can keep up to date by following Brittany on TikTok here.

This article originally appeared on 09.13.22

It’s very hard for Victor Wembanyama to play a basketball game and not do something we’ve never seen before. He’s one of the most uniquely skilled players we’ve ever seen, as he’s 7’3 and can look like a guard on offense right after he erases mistakes on defense.

But sometimes, when you’re that tall and your arms are that long, your highlights are simply you doing things that look far too easy because of your size. That happened on Friday night as the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Houston Rockets in a matchup between Wembanyama and the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Amen Thompson. Early on in the first quarter, Keldon Johnson tried to throw a lob up for Wembanyama, but it couldn’t quite get there, so Jeremy Sochan attempted to corral it.

Sochan got it in his hands, but Wembanyama was in position to dunk, so he just took it away from him in mid-air and dunked.

It’s rare for a guy to dunk on his own teammate, but Wembanyama managed to do that here, all while plucking the ball out of Sochan’s hands like he is a wide receiver making a play over a defensive back. Even Gregg Popovich smiled at this one, presumably because it was extremely cool.

Taylor Swift is making headlines a lot today — for both her new 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and the fact that she is reportedly now a billionaire. According to Forbes, Swift’s net worth is currently $1.1 billion. It has raised at least $360 million since June alone when the publication held its list of the richest self-made women.

While she has had a high net worth for years, her massive run on The Eras Tour gave her a significant boost to new heights. They note that during the first leg of the tour, she earned $190 million after taxes. She has since received another $35 million from the first few weeks of the concert film airing in theaters, as she did an exclusive deal with AMC.

The publication points out that around $500 million of Swift’s net worth comes from her “music royalties and touring.” The other $500 million is tied to her extensive catalog, which has likely grown in value since she released new albums and re-recorded versions to own her masters.

Swift also has worth in her various real estate properties, which Forbes estimates as being around $125 million across six different homes. And then, add in another $10 million for her private plane.

She now joins the ranks of other musical billionaires like Rihanna and Jay-Z.