Koalas, the secret to world peace?

The 2014 Group of Twenty, or G20, international conference took place this weekend in Brisbane, Australia. This annual event is an opportunity for leaders from around the world, including the United States, Russia, China, and Germany, to discuss the major issues affecting the global economy and come up with solutions.

As you can imagine, being cooped up in a convention center for two days straight, responding to or trying to prevent global economic crises, can be quite stressful. But this year's Australian hosts came up with a brilliant tactic for heading off potential hostilities and getting the G20 participants in a good mood.

Their secret weapon: koalas.

As anyone who has ever looked at or held a koala knows: it is hard to be angry, or stressed out, or in a bad mood when cuddling an adorable koala.

Seriously, how cute are those two little koalas, sniffing each other while adorably clinging to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and United States President Barack Obama? They make even Abbott and Obama look cute and cuddly!

Indeed, no one is immune to the smile-inducing cuteness of koalas, not even Russian President Vladimir Putin! (You try smiling with all that Botox. But with a koala, you can!)

[Is it just me, or does that koala look about as happy as Ukraine did when Putin grabbed it?]

I think the Australians are really onto something -- and that future G20 host countries should follow its lead, with China organizing baby panda cuddling sessions, India having world leaders cuddle with baby elephants, and the United States inviting dozens of puppies to mingle with world leaders.

Proof that friends come in all shapes and sizes

Here is your feel-good story and video for the weekend, about a goat named Mr. G and a burro named Jellybean, lifelong friends, who, due to circumstances beyond their control, were separated -- and then reunited.

The story of Mr. G and Jellybean is courtesy of Animal Place, an animal sanctuary in California that sounds like a wonderful place.

[Warning: Have tissues handy before pressing "play."]


More proof that friends come in all shapes and sizes.

Ewe gotta be kidding

I wish I had come up with that title -- "Ewe gotta be kidding" -- for this video of a baby goat-sheep hybrid, known as a geep, recently born in Ireland.



A lot of people think the farmer, Paddy Murphy, is full of blarney. But I gotta admit, having seen a fair amount of goats and sheep -- and zedonks -- that lamb, or kid (lid? kamb?), does look like a geep.

According to Wikipedia (and other sources), sheep-goat hybrids are possible, though unlikely. And interestingly, those offspring that do survive are known to be, uh (I feel a little sheepish even typing it), horny as goats.

Invasion of the Giant Red Plastic Snails

Is any garden safe from...

The Invasion of the Giant Red Plastic Snails?!

From my research, it appears these giant red plastic mollusks hail from Italy -- and have slowly (very slowly) been making their way around the globe, sliming New Yorkers earlier this winter.

Bring on the adorable penguin and polar bear videos!

Greetings from the Polar Vortex*!

I am too cold and numb (from drinking red wine to ward off the cold) to type anything even mildly intelligent, so instead I give you...

Adorable penguin and polar bear videos! (That is, videos of animals that actually like, or well tolerate, or look warm and cute in, the cold.)





You're welcome.

I will now hibernate until Easter -- or until we have at least three consecutive days of over 50-degree weather (without driving rain) here in the Northeast.

*Does the Weather Channel have someone on staff whose job it is to name sh*t? Sure seems that way.

Make way for goslings

So as I was driving home from the farmers market this morning, I came across this mama goose and her mate and their three goslings crossing Route 7, our local highway (for lack of a better term). For once, I had my little Canon PowerShot S95 with me, so I was able to take these three photographs.

Here they are in the process of crossing the road. (The goslings were so adorable, waddling away.)

Right after I took this next photo, though, the geese abruptly did an about face (or goose) -- and had me worried for a minute.

Fortunately, there was a red light up ahead -- so no one was honking (except maybe the geese). And by the time light had turned green, mama goose, the gander, and their three goslings had safely waddled over to the shoulder.

And they all lived happily ever after.

When pigs surf

Alternate titles: Curls before swine... Hang swine... Pork on, pork off... This post will make you squeal with delight...

Meet Zorro the piglet, "New Zealands's latest surfing sensation" (who really should have been named Duke).



Zorro may be a grommet, but in no time he will be a big porkuna.

(Yes, everything I know about surfing I learned from watching 1960s beach party movies on the ABC 4:30 Movie or listening to Beach Boys albums.)

I want a pony... and a wombat... and...

I don't really want a pony (unless I find someone to take care of it for me). But I do love this amusing video of a dancing Shetland pony titled "The Pony #DancePonyDance" put out by UK mobile broadband provider Three.



"Silly stuff. It matters." Indeed.

And while I may not want a pony, I think a wombat would make a rather nice pet -- at least this little wombat.



[H/T to CuteOverload.com]

How cute is that wombat?! (Also, I just love saying the word wombat. Wha? No, wombat.)

All right. Back to work, people. (Sigh.)

And now a word about sloth(s)

As we enter the doldrums of winter, let us take a moment to contemplate -- and, yes, honor -- the sloth, whose name is synonymous with laziness, sluggishness, indolence, and idleness.



So the next time you're stressed out and worried about getting stuff done, remember this sage advice spoken by the (very funny) narrator of "True Facts About Sloths": Sloths don't do shit and they haven't gone extinct.

Also, try hanging upside down.

Goo goo g'joob

Meet Mitik, the world's cutest walrus calf.



Mitik, known as Mit, was found on his lonesome in the Arctic Ocean around Alaska, separated from his herd this July. The Alaska SeaLife Center took the baby walrus in, and the New York Aquarium stepped in from there, flying out staff member Martha Hiatt to look after the walrus calf on his long journey east.

Mit is now a happy resident of the New York Aquarium on Coney Island, as you can see from the video.

I can honestly say this is one Mit I approve of.

More about little Mitik's adventure here. 

Let's go goat surfing now...

Every goat is learning how,
Come and go goat surfing with me!



At San Onofre State Beach
They're shooting the pier.
At Rincon they're walking the nose.
We're going goat surfing to the islands this year,
So if you're coming get ready to go.

Let's go goat surfing now,
Every goat is learning how,
Come and go goat surfing with me!

[More about Goatee and Pismo, the surfing goats, here.]

You can't handle the cute!

[Warning: This blog post contains excessive cuteness and its inherent sweetness could make your teeth fall out.]

Monday morning blues? This unbearably cute video of the first artificially created polar bear cub should have you smiling in no time!



Still feeling low? Then check out Pudsey the dog's audition for Britain's Got Talent:



Even curmudgeon Simon Cowell cannot resist the cute.

Too much cute? Then how about a video of two adorable bunnies... in Dixie cups... exploding?



I don't know about all of you, but I feel so much better now.

So "smart," even an elephant can use it

Smart phone? More like smart elephant.



Still, if Peter the Elephant can figure out how to use the Samsung GALAXY Note smart phone (without reading a manual), there's hope for the rest of us. (Me, I prefer a smart phone with a keyboard, but that's because I'm a dinosaur, not an elephant.)

All those in favor of requiring vendors to have Peter the Elephant test their "smart" device before releasing it to the general public, type "Aye" in the Comments!

UPDATED 3/29/12: CNN's Jeanne Moos just did a great segment on Peter the Elephant -- and other animals using smart devices -- which you can watch below.

I've got some wild, wild life

Come on down to Mutual of J-TWO-O's Wild Kingdom!

We've got turkey vultures...





























Which totally reminded me of this cartoon (even though I know the birds in the cartoon are buzzards, not turkey vultures):



Hawks...















who are the nemesis of the turkey vultures and were duking (or flighting) it out, just outside our bedroom window.

(Note: The above is either a red-tailed hawk, a sharp-shinned hawk, or a Cooper's hawk per my sources.)

And all the venison (aka deer) you can eat! (Though I could never bring myself to shoot one of these deer, who have become like family, albeit tick-infested family you'd never let into the house.)















Bonus dance video: The Talking Heads' "Wild Wild Life"

Remind you of anyone?

Listen carefully, now. Sound familiar, ladies?



Just curious: Why is it we find a hairy, slightly rotund dormouse snoring cute but a hairy, slightly rotund guy snoring not so much?

[H/T CuteOverload]

The Early Deer Special

Oh deer. I knew we should have taken down the All You Can Eat Salad Bar sign....

D'oe!

















Deer family, party of three? Right this way.

(The third deer was grazing out of frame.)

















Would you like to see a fawn's menu?

No, that's okay. I'll just have what mom's having.

















Hey, don't like it? Don't eat it!

(Click on the photo below to get a closer view of Bambi here sticking out his/her tongue.)

















[Note: I took these shots on Friday (before it snowed) through our family room window, so as not to scare off the deer. Hence the slightly blurry/stripey/reflective quality of the photos.]

Happy New Bear!

Ring in the new year with a new bear!

Meet Siku*, the unbearably cute baby polar bear....



May your year be filled with things that make you smile.

Still need help coming up with new year's resolutions? Here are some suggestions.

*More about Siku here.

This is what happens when you ask Santa for a reindeer

Twas the night before Christmas,
When all through the Keller's house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Except for a five-foot buck (which sure looked like a reindeer)....

See, kids, this is how legends -- and famous poems -- get started.



Despite questioning by reporters, the Kellers remain mum on the scrap of furry red suit and the ash foot prints found around their chimney -- and where they got all the extra presents.

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

Ruffled feathers (aka my swan post)

While at the annual Father's Day Picnic at my in-laws' club yesterday, I spied two swans and became obsessed with getting a picture of at least one of them. [If you click on the picture directly below and squint, you can see two white dots through the railing of the bridge. Those are the swans.]















Finally, after hours of watchfulness, one of the swans finally floated within range of my Canon PowerShot S95's zoom lens. Only to proceed to groom itself for what seemed like an eternity. Stopping but briefly to catch its breath and/or adjust itself. It was during two of these intervals (as I ran back and forth along the water trying to get a good angle) that I managed to snap these three pictures. I am particularly happy with the middle one.











































They may have nasty dispositions, but swans sure are beautiful.

Why is this seal smiling? Plus cutest squirrel ever!

Why is this seal smiling? Because she lives in beautiful, sunny La Jolla, California -- rent and mortgage free -- and gets to nap in the sun all day without having to worry about a sun burn or wrinkles or getting a paycheck or driving her pup to soccer or lacrosse or softball practice. Also, no polar bears.






















These seals also looked pretty happy. And if it had been just a bit warmer (and not illegal), I'm pretty sure the spouse would have jumped over the railing and joined them. :-)





























Also, until this trip, I had never seen beach squirrels before. Must be a California thing, which would explain why they were so mellow and friendly.