Blog Posts by Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo! News

One of the heroic kittens featured in "Paw Warz" (Pet Collective)“A while ago, in a litter box not close at all….”

If you love Star Wars, or at least love cats, you’ll enjoy this video. And if you enjoy them both, well, happy Friday.

This new video from The Pet Collective is a re-imagining of the Death Star trench run from the first Star Wars film, A New Hope.

But instead of a planet destroying space station, we now bear witness to an oversized tennis all, chew toy Tie Fighters and the heroic power of … furballs.

The Trench Run Scene is the third and final Paw Wars video from The Pet Collective. You can watch the earlier installments, “Not the Toiz you’re looking for,” and “Haz definitely shot first.”

But don’t worry, even if you find these videos a bit odd, the Furs will be with you, always.

Read More »from Paw Warz: the Force is strong with these kittens

Two Michigan men undergo a labor pain simulation for Mother's Day. (YouTube)A viral video that was first posted on Mother’s Day shows two men undergoing a simulation meant to mimic the pain experienced by women in childbirth.

“It feels like someone is taking a saw and just carving up my abdomen,” one of the men says while writhing as electrodes attached to his midsection send a current of pain-inducing electricity through his body.

“I’m going to throw up,” says his fellow guinea pig.

The video, which has been spreading across social media sites, has been generating lots of attention as some viewers say it is a great example of how men can show empathy for the challenges of pregnancy and childbirth. And, of course, most people just think it’s kind of funny.

But is it real?

For starters, the men don’t give their names, organization or even a real explanation of why they are undergoing the experiment. According to Vimeo, the video was originally published by the Kensington Church, based in Troy, Mich. However, according to public records, Dr. Julie Masters, whom

Read More »from Feel your pain: Video shows men using ‘labor pain simulator’

How cool would it be to roll up to your high-school prom in a fire truck? Well, it would probably be less cool for your Dad if he let you be chauffeured without getting permission first.

A Pennsylvania fire chief is coming under fire after it was revealed he allowed his son to ride in one of the station’s fire trucks to his high-school prom.

WPXI reports that the borough council of West Newton approve a measure of “displeasure” after learning that the town’s Fire Chief Craig Sanner permitted one of his department’s trucks “to be used as a prom limousine” to drive his son Dustin and his date to the Young High School prom.

“If true, we feel this is an inappropriate use of public monies,” the resolution reads.

Sanner says the truck was never “out of service” or, outside its range of service.

But Councilman Adam Paterline, who brought a local newspaper photo showing Dustin Sanner and his girlfriend posing in front of the truck, said allowing the pair to ride on the truck raised security issues

Read More »from Fire chief feels the heat after escorting son to school prom in department truck

The Heartland of America Park in downtown Omaha (Wikicommons)On Sunday, it was 32 degrees in Omaha, Nebraska. On Tuesday, it was 100 degrees.

In an incredible meteorlogical shift, the state experienced both its record low and record high temperatures in less than 72 hours.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that May 14 is the earliest day on record that the temperature in Omaha has reached triple digits, according to data from the National Weather Service. The temperature hasn’t been in that range in Omaha so early in the year since 1871.

In fact, Barbara Mayes of the National Weather Service says the official number could get even hotter before the day is over.

Amazingly, on Sunday there was still snow on the ground while on Tuesday, most residents were wearing shorts and sunscreen.

The largest temperature change on record within a 24 hour period occurred in Loma, Montana in 1972 when the temperature changed from -54 to 49 °F.

So, why was there such a dramatic shift in temperatures?

Dry air heading up from the Gulf of Mexico is to blame for both

Read More »from Omaha experiences record high and low temperatures in less than 72 hours

Trevor Runyon (Mount Washington police department)Trevor Runyon spent the night alone inside a Kentucky grocery store and will likely be spending several more nights in jail.

That’s because Runyon allegedly went on a feeding frenzy, eating six steaks, drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and finishing the night off with some shrimp and a birthday cake.

Video surveillance shows the 30-year-old Runyon sneaking into the ValuMarket outlet just before closing time, then hiding out until the doors were closed and the employees had gone home for the night.

Officer Michael Huffman told WAVE3 that after Runyon was done eating and drinking, he then changed into some new clothes and climbed into the store’s rafters to sleep.

When the store’s manager showed up on Monday morning he says he found 57 cans of Redi-Whip whipped cream cans in the garbage.

After Runyon was spotted, local firefighters were called in to remove him from the rafters, after which police took him into custody.

Read More »from Kentucky man has wild night alone in grocery store

A company refused to use the name Ruth Levy has been sending greeting cards to her 90-year-old friend Dick for decades. The tech-savvy Levy, 77 years old and a fan of e-cards, was shocked to be told that a personalized card she made for Dick was considered profane.

"When it came up with, 'Your message cannot contain profanity,' I didn’t get it. I’m obviously too innocent,” Levy told the Daily Mail about trying to create the card on the Marks & Spencer website. “I thought it must be the word ‘significant’ that it thought was dodgy, but it still would not accept it. I tried various ways, taking out bits of text, but it still said no.”

Levy wrote to the store to find out what was wrong. "I could not believe it when they sent me a prissy letter [back] saying it was because my friend is called Dick,” she told the paper. “It is political correctness gone absolutely mad.”

The company suggested that Levy call her friend instead. Levy handwrote a card and sent it through the mail.

“I don’t mind them weeding out profanities—I’m

Read More »from ‘Call him Richard’: Company refuses to use shortened name on e-card

On Friday, workers completed the installation of the spire atop the One World Trade Center building, a symbolic step toward completing the building that has taken more than 10 years to complete.

The 1,776 foot peak of the building was covered by media across the globe. But the iron workers involved in the spire’s installation have provided the most breathtaking view of all. They installed a GoPro camera atop the spire, capturing the entire installation in vivid detail.

At more than nine minutes, the video might be a big long for most people’s patience. But you can skip ahead to the exact moment the spire is installed. Still it’s fun to watch extended portions early on in the video as the spire is raised to great heights. Even on a tiny computer screen, the elevated view is enough to induce feelings of vertigo.

Read More »from Bird’s eye view video shows installation of One World Trade Center spire

Deep-fried insects for sale at a food stand in Bangkok, Thailand (Wikicommons)The United Nations has some advice for the starving people of the world that might bug you. Eating insects might just be the future of food.

A new report from the U.N. says that eating insects (high in protein, low in fat) can help fight global warming, pollutions, and yes, hunger. And if the suggestion catches on, it could even be great for small businesses.

The concept of eating insects as part of a regular diet is known as entomophagy is already practiced by an estimated two billion people, according to the report, which was issued on Monday, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

In 2012, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation named Dr. Aaron T. Dossey’s “All Things Bugs” company the winner of the foundation’s annual Grand Challenges Explorations contest. The group received a grant to pursue its project to come up with viable insect protein options to combat malnutrition in children.

So, which bugs earned the U.N.’s seal of approval? Well, there are reportedly more than 1,900

Read More »from U.N. encourages people to eat more insects