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A woman treats her miniature pig like a toddler and it even 'talks' with electronic buttons

Merlin will tap buttons that say “eat,” “outside” and “ice cream.”

Merlin the pig; pot belly pigs, tiktok; wholesome videos

Photo by Ben Mater on Unsplash

A woman treats her pig like a toddler and the internet can't get enough.

Pigs are cute. Well, piglets are cute, but they usually don't stay those tiny little snorting things very long. That is unless you get a mini pig and name it something majestic like Merlin. (I would've gone with Hamlet McBacon, but no one asked me.)

Mina Alali, a TikTok user from California, has been going viral on the internet for her relationship with Merlin, her miniature pig. Of course, there are plenty of folks out there with pigs—mini pigs, medium pigs, pigs that weigh hundreds of pounds and live in a barn with a spider named Charlotte. But not everyone carries their pig around on adventures like it's their child.

Alali's videos of her sweet interactions with her little pig have gotten a lot of people wanting their own piggy, but training Merlin wasn't always easy. According to Yahoo Finance, the 25-year-old told SWNS that she has wanted a pig her whole life and finding Merlin was a "dream come true," but she wasn't expecting how challenging it would be to train him. If you've never been around pigs, then you may not know that they squeal—a lot—and unless you're living on an actual farm, that could be a problem.

Alali told SWNS that she had to teach Merlin how to be calm when he was being picked up or else he would scream. Thankfully, since then the little piggy has taken to people and enjoys being handled. "It’s definitely an obstacle sometimes…You have to dedicate as much time and love and affection to [the pig], as you would a toddler," she explained to SWNS. The internet is rejoicing that she didn't give up on Merlin because her videos are so stinking cute.

@mina.alali
Replying to @alysa.evans Cried making this🥲 #merlinthepig #mina #adoption #pigsoftiktok #pig #piggy #fyp #xyzbca

And while this particular pig won't become huge since he's a mini Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, he will still get up to about 80 pounds once he's fully grown. But Merlin is ahead of the crowd when it comes to smarts because he can actually communicate with his mom using electronic buttons.

@mina.alali
Finally feel appreciated around this place 🥹 #mydogtalks #merlinthepig #mina #pigsoftiktok #manners #thankyou #piggy #pig #fyp #xyzbca

Seriously, Merlin is making me want a pig, because how is he smarter than my dog, who would probably just eat the buttons instead of pressing them? But the adventures don't stop there. Alali also takes her furry little child to grab morning coffee.

@mina.alali
still waiting on free Starbucks 😒 #merlinthepig #mina #pigsoftiktok #pig #piggy #FastTwitchContest #fyp #xyzbca

I mean, who doesn't want to see a miniature pot-bellied pig grabbing Starbucks with his mom? The baristas certainly seemed entertained and can you blame them? By the end of this Merlin is going to be a celebrity selling his own skin care line to the masses because he is beyond cute and has demonstrated that he even has manners.

While Merlin is certainly adorable and has amassed more than 1.8 million followers on TikTok with his mom, you probably still shouldn't run out and get a pig. Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs can weigh anywhere between 70 to 175 pounds and live up to 20 years, so owning your own version of Merlin is a commitment.

In the meantime, you can head on over to Alali and Merlin's TikTok page and soak up all the pig content you want.

merlin the pig

Community

Wonder how volunteering can change your life? Ask a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Those who give back get so much in return.

True

Larissa Gummy was first introduced to the work of the Peace Corps in high school. All it took was seeing a few photos shared by her ninth-grade teacher, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, to know that one day, she would follow in those footsteps.

This inspiration eventually led Larissa away from her home in Minnesota to Rwanda in East Africa, to give back to her family’s country of origin and pursue her passion for international development. Though her decision confused her parents at first, they’re now proud and excited to see what their daughter has accomplished through her volunteer work.

And just what was that work? Well, it changed from day to day, but it all had to do with health.

Mostly, Larissa worked for Rwanda’s First 1,000 Days Health project, which aims to improve the conditions that affect the mortality rate of kids within the first 1,000 days of being born (or almost three years old). These conditions include hygiene, nutrition, and prevention of childhood diseases like malaria and acute respiratory infections (ARI). Addressing malnutrition was a particular focus, as it continues to cause stunted growth in 33% of Rwandan children under the age of five.

In partnership with the local health center, Larissa helped with vaccination education, led nutrition classes, offered prenatal care to expecting mothers, and helped support health education in surrounding communities. Needless to say—she stayed busy with a variety of tasks.

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Identity

13 side-by-side portraits of people over 100 with their younger selves

These powerful before-and-after photos reveal just how beautiful aging can be.

Centenarians — people 100 years or older — are a rarity. Their lives are often scrutinized as holding the key to aging.

Czech photographer Jan Langer's portrait series "Faces of Century" shows them in a different light: as human beings aged by years of experience, but at their deepest level, unchanged by the passing of time.

In the series, Langer juxtaposes his portraits with another portrait of the subject from decades earlier. He recreates the original pose and lighting as closely as he can — he wants us to see them not just as they are now, but how they have and haven't changed over time. That is the key to the series.

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Pop Culture

To celebrate Fiona Apple's birthday, here's her epic 1997 takedown of celebrity culture

Her "career suicide" moment was brilliantly ahead of its time.

via Long Day Closes/X

Fiona Apple speaking at the 1997 MTV Video Music awards.

In 1997, singer-songwriter 19-year-old Fiona Apple was a massive breakthrough artist on MTV, having recently scored big hits with “Shadowboxer,” “Criminal” and “Sleep to Dream” from her debut album, “Tidal.”

However, even though she was still a teenager, she was already suspicious of celebrity culture.

When accepting the award for the single "Sleep to Dream" at the MTV Video Music Awards, she gave an impromptu speech taking dead aim at the music industry. She asked the young people watching to stop emulating the stars they see in music videos and to be themselves.

Her speech was a bold move by a young woman in a room full of celebrities, rock stars and industry people. At the time, it looked like she was committing career suicide in front of the world. Twenty-six years later, it seems even more audacious in a world where the notion of being sellout is a Gen X relic and the entire culture is dominated by influencers.

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fiona apple

Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

KTVB/YouTube

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

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family

A woman treats her miniature pig like a toddler and it even 'talks' with electronic buttons

Merlin will tap buttons that say “eat,” “outside” and “ice cream.”

Those who give back get so much in return.

These powerful before-and-after photos reveal just how beautiful aging can be.

Centenarians — people 100 years or older — are a rarity. Their lives are often scrutinized as holding the key to aging.

1. Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101

2. Bedřiška Köhlerová, at age 26 and 103

3. Ludvík Chybík, at age 20 and 102

4. Vincenc Jetelina, at age 30 and 105

5. Marie Fejfarová, at age 101

6. Antonín Kovář, at age 25 and 102

7. Anna Vašinová, at age 22 and 102

8. Stanislav Spáčil, at age 17 and 102

9. Anna Pochobradská, at age 30 and 100

10. Antonín Baldrman, at age 17 and 101

11. Marie Burešová, at age 23 and 101

12. Vlasta Čížková, at age 23 and 101

13. Ludmila Vysloužilová, at age 23 and 101

Her "career suicide" moment was brilliantly ahead of its time.

It was the largest such event ever filmed.

Photographer James Balog and his crew were hanging out near a glacier when their camera captured something extraordinary.

It was the largest such event ever filmed.

But once upon a time, Balog was openly skeptical about that "global warming" thing.

In fact, it wasn't until 2005 that Balog became a believer.

Watch the video of the event of the glacier calving below:

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Talk about playing hard to get.

No more going cross-eyed!