amazing news for You

Amazing: Liu Fei pushing snake in his nose

2011-11-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

Liu Fei 53 years old man from east China's Jiangxi Province, has been performing the death-defying act for the past 30 years - what a charmer.

Sometimes, when he feels like it, the 53-year-old will even use two 3ft snakes instead of one.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing for the snake swallower though - Liu Fei has had several close calls with his writhing friends, the most serious being when he swallowed one accidentally.

Luckily for him, the serpent died in his stomach before it could cause any damage.

He does live a charmed life it seems.

VIDEO

Patrick Stull Amazing Photography of Pregnancy

2011-10-07T01:01:00.000-07:00

Artist Patrick Stull Features Amazing Photography of Pregnancy in Evolve, A Woman’s Journey

Talented artist and photographer Patrick Stull unveils his new book Evolve, A Woman’s Journey, featuring the journeys of 30 women through the transformation of pregnancy in all its joys and hardships.

The artist has shared several photos from the book to be featured below (most of these are safe for work or young eyes, but other images in the book’s collection might be NSFW- just an fyi!)

Touching on issues such as single motherhood and body image, the breathtaking Evolve (in hardback or for iPad) invites readers in to an honest conversation of embracing new life.

King Cobra Vs 6 month Child

2010-10-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

This is amazing video of King Cobra Vs 6 month child.

Top 10 Unique Babies

2010-09-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Everyday, hundreds of thousands of babies are born and most of them are considered normal. Rarely, there are cases where that babies are some form of abnormalities. Some call them miracle babies and others call them genetic accidents. Here are some cases that are quite unique. You can decide whether they are accidents or miracles.

10. Baby with a Tail

The baby was born in India in 2001. His 10 inch tail was revealed to the world a year after his birth. A lot of Indians consider him to be a re-incarnation of god.

9. Baby with 16 Toes

This little boy born in China on November 5 2008, he has 8 toes on each foot and no thumbs on either hand.

8. 4 arms and 4 legs

This baby girl (Lakshmi Tatma) was born in India and was considered to be the re-incarnation of the hindu god vishnu

7. The two headed baby

In 2008, a baby was born in Bangladesh with two heads.

6. Mutated Baby

This baby was born in 2006 with a condition called anencephaly. Has something to do with improper or incomplete brain formation.

5. Baby with Harlequin-type ichthyosis

The baby born in Gilgit, Pakistan had tiger like skin in March 2010. There also seems to be something wrong with his hands, lips and eye lids. The baby passed away shortly after the birth.

4. World's smallest baby

Amillia Taylor is recorded to be the smallest baby ever to be born and luckily, just two weeks before the legal abortion limit

3. Inter-racial Twins

This is very interesting. Same parents, same date of birth, same womb but different races. Both kids (Kaydon and Layton Richardson) have just celebrated their birthday in July 2010

2. The pregnant one year old

The little baby girl was carrying her parasitic twin in her belly. She was recently operated on and is now well and normal.

1. Back from the dead - A true miracle baby

The biggest miracle of all. The premature baby was pronounced dead after birth but miraculously, two hours later the baby was well and alive.

Saddest Pictures in the World

2010-09-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

“Tears keep falling…”

In the morning September 11, 2001, two hijacked passenger jets crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. This was no accident, but rather a series of attacks done by suicide bombers engaged with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group.

The attacks killed all the passengers on board the hijacked planes, and took away 2,974 innocent lives at the World Trade Center. More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attack, and the stock market was closed for a week.

Abu Ghraib:

Beginning in 2004, accounts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) came to public attention. These acts were committed by personnel of the 372nd Military Police Company of the United States Army together with additional US governmental agencies.

An Afghan Refugee Child Hides From a Dust Storm:

Bhopal India – Methyl Isocyanate Spill:

More than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate spilled from a Union Carbide-owned pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, in 1984, killing more than 20,000 people in the world’s worst chemical disaster.

After the spill, these skulls were researched, presumably for the specific effects the gas had on the brain, at the nearby Hamidia Hospital. The chemical injured not only the people who inhaled it, but also nearby animals (at least 2,000 of them) and trees, whose leaves went yellow and fell off within days.

Twenty-five years later, with people still claiming injury from the disaster yet little corrective action having been taken, the government of India has called for a study into the long-term effects of the spill.

Biafra:

When the Igbos of eastern Nigeria declared themselves independent in 1967, Nigeria blockaded their fledgling country-Biafra. In three years of war, more than one million people died, mainly of hunger. In famine, children who lack protein often get the disease kwashiorkor, which causes their muscles to waste away and their bellies to protrude.

Boston Fire:

On July 22, 1975, Stanley J. Forman was working in the newsroom of the Boston Herald American newspaper when a police scanner picked up an emergency: “Fire on Marlborough Street!” Forman rushed to the scene, where multiple fire crews were battling an intense blaze. There was a distress call for a ladder team to the rear of the building to help a stranded woman and child. Forman followed.

Buchenwald Camp:

In 1937, the Nazis constructed Buchenwald concentration camp, near Weimar, Germany. Placed over the camp’s main entrance gate, was the slogan Jedem das Seine (literally “to each his own”, but figuratively “everyone gets what he deserves”). The Nazis used Buchenwald until the camp’s liberation in 1945. From 1945 to 1950, the Soviet Union used the occupied camp as an NKVD special camp for Nazis and other Germans. On 6 January 1950, the Soviets handed over Buchenwald to the East German Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The SS left behind accounts of the number of prisoners and people coming to and leaving the camp, categorizing those leaving them by release, transfer, or death. These accounts are one of the sources of estimates for the number of deaths in Buchenwald. According to SS documents, 33,462 died in Buchenwald. These documents were not, however, necessarily accurate: Among those executed before 1944 many were listed as “transferred to the Gestapo”. Furthermore, from 1941 forward Soviet POWs were executed in mass killings. Arriving prisoners selected for execution were not entered into the camp register and therefore were not among the 33,462 dead listed in SS documents.

Burial Of an Unknown Child:

Burial of an unknown child. This picture shows the world’s worst industrial disaster, caused by the US multinational chemical company, Union Carbide.

Burning Monk:

As a protest to the This Monk slow and unreliable reforms in Vietnam, the Buddhist monks have resorted to immolation, such as this Mahayana Buddhist monk, He burned himself alive across the outskirts of Saigon, mainly because of the harshness done by the South Vietnam government to his fellow Buddhist monks.

He was re-cremated after he burned himself; his heart meanwhile remained in one piece, and because of this he was regarded as a Bodhisattva by the other Buddhist monks and followers. His act of self-immolation increased the pressure on the Di?m administration to implement their reform laws in South Vietnam.

Bushmeat:

Animals from primates to snakes are valuable commodities in the thriving, albeit illegal, worldwide trade of bushmeat, defined as wildlife killed either by commercial or subsistence hunters. With one million tons of bushmeat taken from African forests every year, the already endangered gorilla population-a primary victim of the trade-is in dire straits.

This photo shows a gorilla family in southeast Cameroon (minus the alpha male silverback, who managed to get away) that had been slaughtered in their nests by a bushmeat hunter early one morning.

Execution Of a Viet Cong Guerrilla:

This picture was shot by Eddie Adams who won the Pulitzer prize with it. The picture shows Nguyen Ngoc Loan, South Vietnam’s national police chief executing a prisoner who was said to be a Viet Cong captain. Once again the public opinion was turned against the war.

Hector Pieterson:

Hector Pieterson an icon of 1976 Soweto uprising in apartheid South Africa. Dying Hector being carried by a fellow student. He was killed at the age of 12 when the police opened fire on protesting students. For years, June 16 stood as a symbol of resistance to the brutality of the apartheid government. Today, it is known as National Youth Day – a day on which South Africans honour young people and bring attention to their needs.

Last Jew Of Vinnitsa:

Picture from an Einsatzgruppen soldier’s personal album, labelled on the back as “Last Jew of Vinnitsa, it shows a member of Einsatzgruppe D is just about to shoot a Jewish man kneeling before a filled mass grave in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in 1941. All 28,000 Jews from Vinnitsa and its surrounding areas were massacred at the time.

Lynching Of Young Blacks:

This is a famous picture, taken in 1930, showing the young black men accused of raping a Caucasian woman and killing her boyfriend, hanged by a mob of 10,000 white men. The mob took them by force from the county jail house. Another black man was left behind and ended up being saved from lynching. Even if lynching photos were designed to boost white supremacy, the tortured bodies and grotesquely happy crowds ended up revolting many.

Nagasaki Hiroshima Masroon Clouds:

This is the picture of the “mushroom cloud” showing the enormous quantity of energy. The first atomic bomb was released on August 6 in Hiroshima (Japan) and killed about 80,000 people. On August 9 another bomb was released above Nagasaki. The effects of the second bomb were even more devastating – 150,000 people were killed or injured. But the powerful wind, the extremely high temperature and radiation caused enormous long term damage.

Napalm Girl:

The photo shows Phan Thi Kim Phúc (a Vietnamese-Canadian) at about age nine running naked on the street after being severely burned on her back by a South Vietnamese napalm attack.

Nile Perch in Lake:

One of the 100 most invasive species in the world the Nile perch was introduced to East Africa’s Lake Victoria in the 1950s, and has wreaked environmental havoc ever since. It’s illegal to possess or sell in some parts of the world, and is thought to have caused the extinction or endangering of hundreds of native species in Lake Victoria.

After the fish eliminated much of the algae-eating population, the lake became choked with algae. The perch has also increased local demand for firewood, because their higher fat content drives people to smoke them rather than dry them. Adult perch can grow to weigh more than 440 pounds, and are fierce predators that feed on insects, crustaceans, and other fish-even those of its own species.

Pictured here are dead Nile perch on a butcher table waiting for transport to local markets.

Nilgunyalcin Child Vulture:

Sudanese child being stalked by a vulture nearby. It is quite obvious that the child was starving to death, while the vulture was patiently waiting for the toddler to die so he can have a good meal.

Nobody knows what happened to the child, who crawled his way to a United Nations food camp. Photographer Kevin Carter won a Pulitzer Prize for this shocking picture, but he eventually committed suicide three months after he took the shot.

Palestine Father Saving Son:

Images from the video footage of 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah being shot dead in the Gaza Strip. The scene was filmed by a France 2 cameraman.

Palestinian Refugees:

World Press Photo of the Year: 1976 Françoise Demulder, France, Gamma. Beirut, Lebanon, January 1976. Palestinian refugees in the district La Quarantaine. About the image She was the first woman to win the World Press Photo, and did so on the 20th anniversary of the award. Demulder stated at the time that she hated war, but felt compelled to document how it’s always the innocent who suffer, while the powerful get richer and richer.

Palm Oil Deforestation:

Indonesia is home to the world’s third largest tropical forest, but it’s disappearing quickly. Though often illegal, the forests are cut down both for a booming pulp and paper industry as well as to clear land for oil palm plantations, which supply diverse industries from biofuel to soap to cosmetics.

Because of deforestation, Indonesia is also the world’s third largest greenhouse gas contributor, behind only the U.S. and China; after the forest is cut down, the carbon normally sequestered in the peatland soil is no longer shielded from being released into the atmosphere.

Pollution and Power Lines:

China’s economy has exploded in recent years; so has its pollution problem, leaving no aspect of the country’s environment unaffected. Solid waste often lacks proper disposal, waterways have been polluted, and the air quality has plummeted, largely due to the coal-fired power plants that serve as the country’s primary source of energy.

Environmental degradation has gotten so bad that the Chinese government, which doesn’t easily take-or allow-criticism, has admitted that birth defects in the country have increased as a direct result of it, particularly in coal-producing regions like the north, where this picture was taken.

Second Largest Oil Spill Ever:

The Ixtoc I exploratory well suffered a blowout on June 3, 1979, in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche, 600 miles south of Texas. The well was not brought under control until the next year, by which time 140 million gallons had spilled into the bay. The only larger spill occurred during the 1991 Gulf War, when Iraq dumped-deliberately-up to 462 million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf.

Segregated water Fountains:

A segregated water fountain with a vastly larger and more desirable fountain for whites, and a small fountain for minorities.

Sludge Kingston Tennessee:

More than 1 billion gallons of toxic sludge were released into a Tennessee community when a dam collapsed last December, causing a massive coal-ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant, a coal-burning power plant owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Coal ash is known to contain dangerous elements including arsenic, lead, and selenium, yet the TVA refused at first to issue any health warnings about contamination from the spill. The agency, which weeks later admitted prior leak problems at the plant, also refused initially to declare as uninhabitable the houses in the area, like the one pictured here, that were physically relocated by all the sludge.

Starving Boy:

World Press Photo of the Year: 1980 Mike Wells, United Kingdom. Karamoja district, Uganda, April 1980. Starving boy and a missionary. About the image Wells felt indignant that the same publication that sat on his picture for five months without publishing it, while people were dying, entered it into a competition. He was embarrassed to win as he never entered the competition himself, and was against winning prizes with pictures of people starving to death.

The American Bison:

A product of U.S. Army-sanctioned mass slaughter of American bison in the 1800s, these bison skulls are waiting to be ground for fertilizer, most likely in the American midwest. The slaughter was so “effective” that the population of bison in the U.S. is estimated to have dropped from around 60 million in 1800 to as few as 750 in 1890.

Tsunami Dead Bodies:

The Boxing Day Tsunami that struck Thailand in 2004 caused approximately 350,000 deaths and many more injuries.

View of Floods:

An aerial view of floods caused by Tropical Storm Hanna is seen in Gonaives, Haiti on September 3, 2008. Haiti’s civil protection office said 37 of the 90 Hanna-related deaths had occurred in the port city of Gonaives.

Boy With Record 31 Fingers and Toes

2010-09-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

A 6-year-old boy shows his hands: one with seven fingers and another with eight, in Shengjing Hospital in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning province, on March 22, 2010. Ready to undergo an operation, the boy has a total of 31 fingers and toes, which outnumber the current world record of 25.

An X-ray of the feet of the 6-year-old boy who has a total of 31 fingers and toes, which outnumber the current world record of 25.

8 Most Bizarre Body Modifications

2010-09-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

1.Eyeball Tattoo
Corneal tattooing is not only possible, but it has been known and done now for over 2,000 years — it became almost commonplace in the late 19th century and into the 20th century to correct defects such as corneal scarring and leucomas. These days, it is done less often because contact lenses are very effective at covering these defects, and prosthetic technology is also more accessible. However, not everyone can wear contact lenses, and not everyone wants their eyeball popped out even if it is blind; hence cosmetic tattooing of the eye.

2.Scarification
Scarification is the creative and artistic application of scars in a controlled manner to achieve an aesthetically or spiritually pleasing result. In the process of body scarification, scars are formed by cutting the skin. Even though many people hold that scarification is no more painful than tattooing, it is somehow more "intense" to most of them.

3.3D-Art Implant
A 3D-Art implant is any object implanted fully under the skin for the purpose of affecting a sculptural change of the surface. The "invention" and popularization of implants as 3D-Art is credited primarily to Steve Haworth. Implants can be stretched just like piercings. A good example of this are horn implants—they start as smaller implants, and are then taken out when healed and replaced with slightly larger ones. This process is repeated to achieve the final size. There are some risks of irritation to the skin above the implant if this process is pushed too fast, as with all stretching.

4.Corset Piercings
One of the newest trends in body modification comes in the form of corset piercings. They are a series of surface piercings arranged up the back in two vertical columns. The piercing is located in the spot where the eyelets would be if one was wearing a corset. It is a symmetrical piercing with an equal number of holes on each side. As few as four holes can be used (two on each side) up to as many as the expanse of skin will allow.

5.Branding
The Human Branding is, perhaps, the most painful of all body modifications. In full-scale branding, the iron is heated hot enough and applied long enough that the resulting wound is a third degree burn, which destroys the nerve. These third-degree burns never regain sensitivity. It will make a silver scarred area in the shape of the third degree burn, due to destruction of the entire dermis layer of the skin. The surrounding skin will eventually fill in areas that haven’t been severely damaged, which takes years.

6.Body Suspension
Body suspension is the act of suspending the human body via temporary piercings made just before the suspension process. The body is then raised either partially or completely from the ground by especially modified fishing hooks.

7.Tongue bifurcation
One of the newest body modifications to hit the scene is tongue splitting, or tongue bifurcation. The process involves literally cutting the tongue in half directly down the center. Once the tongue is split it is possible to move both sections independently of one another.

8.Pointy Ears
New York plastic surgoen Dr. Lajos Nagy created a surgical procedure to make human ears pointed, like a mythological creature. According to the doc, "ears becoming pointed as a result of plastic surgery not only enhance the attractiveness of the face, but also improve the experience of listening to music."

Amazing Wax Museum

2010-08-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Do u think only London and Paris have Wax Museums........Look at these amazing statues capturing village life in India ... Beat this!!

Location - Siddhagiri Museum , Kolhapur … it's on the outskirts of Kolhapur (Maharashtra), on the way to “ Belgaum “

Worth a watch….all statues are made out of wax !!!

A unique project, perhaps the only project in India situated at Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math, Kaneri, Tal. Karveer, Dist. Kolhapur. The place is near Kolhapur city on Pune Banglore Highway.

The main objective of the Project is to refresh the history of self sufficient village life before the invasion of Mughals in Maharashtra. There were 12 BALUTEDARS (12 main profession based casts i.e. Professions performed by generation by family members) and 18 ALUTEDARS, who provided equipments to all villagers useful in their day-to-day necessities of domestic as well as Agricultural life.

These Balutedars, Alutedars and others had a special characteristics with which they served society. The description of all 18 Alutedars, 12 balutedars and other people and there duties are vividly depicted in the museum.

The first phase of the museum spans over 7 Acres of area with almost 80 main scenes and around 300 statues. Several subtle village lifestyles are taken into consideration. There is a unique combination of expression, accuracy and liveliness in the whole village. Each sculpture has a multi dimensional effect and lifestyle theme which Swamiji very keenly arranged each and every scene to make a proper visual story. In the total cluster the village demonstrate a self sufficient machinery within village. Barter economy, Interpersonal healthy happy relationship among villagers is reflected. The Museum projects the entire village as a single family, and as single family members in a joint family. No adulteration, no cut thought practice, no mad Rat Race, No pollution, but Caring, and delightful atmosphere, no bitter feeling, but fertile land, clean water, clean air, quality food, maximum use of natural resources, cattle field, livestock, job satisfaction. All these things are reflecting the beauty, Joy, satisfaction of human race and oneness with nature. It advises us to get back to nature, without disturbing the equilibrium of nature and many other things which are beyond our imagination.

Amazing Soccer Girl

2010-08-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Most Expensive Paintings

2010-03-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of thousands — even millions — of dollars are spent every year by art patrons eager to own the world’s most sought-after paintings.

Find out a little more about this shortlist of Picasso’s, Van Gogh’s and more works from famous artists who still command the highest prices, what makes these paintings so special, and why they’re worth so very much…

1)1. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer by Gustav Klimt ($135,000,000)

This record breaking sale was enabled by a court order by the Austrian government to return the painting to the Artist’s rightful heir. The entire dispute lasted over a year and was necessary to return the painting that was looted by the Nazis during World War II.

Skillfully painted in 1907 by the art nouveau master Gustav Klimt, the painting was purchased by Ronald S. Lauder, the cosmetics heir, in 2006.

2. Garcon a la Pipe by Pablo Picasso ($104,100,000)

Created during the Rose Period, Garcon a la Pipe showcases Picasso’s exceptional use of cheerful orange and pink palatte.

The oil on canvas painting, measuring 100 ? 81.3 cm (slightly over 39 ? 32 inches), displays a Parisian boy holding a pipe in his left hand.

The record price auction at the time on May 4, 2004 in Sotheby’s was a bit of a surprise to the core art buyers, because it was painted in the style not usually associated with the pioneering Cubist artist.

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3. Dora Maar with Cat by Pablo Picasso ($95,200,000)

Another enormous surprise followed in 2006, when this painting near doubled its inaccurate presale estimate and brought in new record $95,200,000 at auction at Sotheby’s on May 3, 2006.

Painted in 1941, Picasso’s controversial portrait (one of his last) is sometimes described as an unflattering depiction of his mistress, Dora Maar, who was an artist/photographer and mistress of Picasso whose relationship lasted ten years during the 1930s and 40s.

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4. Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh ($82,500,000)

This painting by the Dutch Impressionist master Vincent van Gogh suddenly became world-famous when Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito paid $82.5 million for it at auction in Christie’s, New York. Saito was so attached to the painting that he wanted it to be cremated with him when he died. Saito died in 1996 … but the painting was saved.

Vincent van Gogh actually painted two versions of Dr Gachet’s portrait. You can view the other version, with a slightly different color scheme, at Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

5. Bal Au Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir ($78,000,000)

Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre was painted by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1876. On May 17, 1990, it was sold for $ 78,000,000 at Sotheby’s in New York City to Ryoei Saito, who bought it together with the Portrait of Dr Gachet (see above).

6. Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens ($76,700,000)

This painting by Peter Paul Rubens, painted in 1611, is the only painting in this list which was not painted in the 19th or 20th century. It was sold to Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet for $ 76,700,000 at a 2002 Sotheby’s auction.

7. Portrait de l'Artiste sans Barbe by Vincent van Gogh ($71,500,000)

Portrait de l’artiste sans barbe (”Self-portrait without beard”) is one of many self-portraits by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. He painted this one in Saint-R?my-de-Provence, France in September 1889. The painting is a oil painting on canvas and is 40 cm x 31 cm (16? x 13?).

This is an uncommon painting since his other self-portraits show him with a beard. The self-portrait became one of the most expensive paintings of all time when it was sold for $71.5 million in 1998 in New York.

8. Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier by Paul Cézanne ($60,500,000)

This painting by Paul Cézanne, painted in ca. 1893-1894, sold for $60,500,000 at Sotheby’s New York on May 10, 1999 to “The Whitneys”. Whitney, born into one of America’s wealthiest families, was a venture capitalist, publisher, Broadway show and Hollywood film producer, and philanthropist.

9. Femme aux Bras Croisés by Pablo Picasso ($55,000,000)

This work, painted in 1901, was a part of Picasso’s famous Blue Period, a dark, sad time in the artist’s life. The beautiful & various tones of blue are typical. The painting depicts a woman with her arms crossed staring at the endless nothing.

Femme aux Bras Croisés was sold for $55,000,000 November 8, 2000, at Christie’s Rockefeller in New York City.

10. Irises by Vincent Van Gogh ($53,900,000)

Vincent van Gogh painted this at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France in 1889, only one year before his death. In 1987, it became the most expensive painting to date. It was sold for $ 54,000,000 to Alan Bond and later resold to the Getty Museum.

New Titanic

2010-03-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

MS Explorer of the Seas is one of five Voyager-class cruise ships from Royal Caribbean International. It can handle over 3100 guests, including scientists making use of a built-in atmospheric and oceanographic laboratory operated by the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Voyager-class ships are the third largest passenger ships in the world, after Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and Royal Caribbean’s own Freedom Class.

Great Sand Sculpture Artist

2010-03-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

SAND ART :- In Orissa, a unique type of art form is developed at Puri . But it spreads all over the world . To carve a sand sculpture , the raw material is the only clean and fine grained sand mixed with water . With the help of this type of sand and with the blessings of God and by the magic of fingers , an artist can carve a beautiful and attractive sculpture on the beach.

There are very few people who leave their foot prints on sands. One of them is Sudarsan Pattnaik. He has magic fingers, with unlimited potentials and with immense heat to create some thing new on sand. He had always a dream that he would win a prize in an international level. For his excellent talent he travels many countries like London, France, Scotland, China, Holand, Singapore, Denmark and Italy. He is also appreciated by many for his attractive sand sculpture. Now he became an international artist. In the World Master's Sand Sculpture Championship held at Italy in July 2001 he represented India and got 3rd prize as first Indian . "Golden Sand Art Institute " which is an open air institute in Puri Beach behind Mayfair Hotel started in the year 1995. Around 50 students are taking training in this institute including tourists. Tourists can take basic 7-10 days familiarization course. Beautiful gallery on the beach can be observed in the beach in the afternoon from 4-6 P.M. The institute is run by Mr Sudarsan Patnaik, e-mail: sudarsansand@hotmail.com , Marichikote Lane, Puri-752001, Orissa, India

His works are mostly based on current world issues, ranging from climate change to world peace. “For last two years, everywhere I heard about the issues of global warming and climate change, so I started working on these issues,” he said.
He has produced several sand sculptures of US President Barack Obama. On November 2, 2008, he made a sand sculpture of US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

Report by Orissadiary correspondent; Puri: It is the 1st anniversary of Mumbai Terror attacks. People from different part of India giving their tributes in different way to the victims of 26/11. Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sand image to tribute the innocent people and the National hero who were passed away on this sad event, at Golden sea beach of Orissa, with a massage to the world, "All Ideologies end up killing people" & "Stop terrorism".

People to gather at Puri beach to tribute near the sand image of hotel Taj to the innocent people who died on last year 26 Nov. We should stand together to fight against the terrorist, Pattnaik said. Before Sudarsan has also created many sand sculptures to condemn terrorist attacks.

Pattnaik created a 7ft high sand sculpture of Taj Hotel by using 6 tones of sand. Students of his sand art institute join hand with him to complete the sculpture.

Sudarsan has so far participated in more than 39 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many awards for the country. In 2008 Sudarsan won the World champion title as a first Indian at Germany. He always tries to give message on social issues to World through his sand sculptures

Bhubaneswar, July 13 (IANS) Orissa based sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik was Monday announced as the winner of the people’s choice award at the world championship held in Berlin last month for his 15-feet-high image of Lord Buddha.
Pattnaik, who hails from Orissa’s beach city of Puri, 56 km from here is the first Indian to win the contest.

Last year he had won the jury prize in the same contest in Berlin for his sculpture that showed the famous polar bear Knut, which lives in the Berlin Zoo.

“The people’s choice award that I have won this time is the most prestigious award which is decided on the basis of votes given by the audience,” Pattnaik told IANS over phone from his home.

“The award was announced today (Monday) and the producer of the festival Anja Smolle has formally informed me by email,” he said.

“At least 12 artists from 12 countries participated in this competition,” he said.

While his sculpture got 1,383 votes, the second prize went to Gianni Schiumarini (Italy) with 439 votes, he said.

Pattnaik created the image of a sitting Buddha for the 2nd United Sand Festival (USF) World Solo Sand Sculpture Championship 2009 held June 4-11 in the German capital. The sculpture was on display from June 11-12.

Pattnaik has participated in more than 39 international sand sculpture festivals and competitions and won several prizes.

Pattnaik, who figured in the Limca Book of Records in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 editions for his work, will also find place in the 2009 edition for winning the United Sand Festivals (USF) World Double Championship held June 5.

World Record, Holds breath underwater for 19 minutes and 21 seconds.

2010-02-19T23:42:00.000-08:00

A Swiss diver has broken the world record for holding his breath underwater - for 19 minutes and 21 seconds.

Freediver Peter Colat, 38, said the first 12 minutes without air were 'no problem' after plunging into a water tank at a holiday fair in St Gallen, Switzerland.

Mr Colat smashed the previous record held by Italian Nicola Putignano by 19 seconds.

Winner: Peter Colat broke the previous record held by Italian Nicola Putignano by 19 seconds

Under the rules for so-called 'static apnea' laid down by the Guinness World Records, Mr Colat was allowed to breath pure oxygen for ten minutes before the feat yesterday.

Breathless: Under the rules of the record, Peter Colat was permitted to breathe pure oxygen for ten minutes before the feat

He said afterwards: 'The first 12 minutes were not a problem and I felt the first need to breathe very late, but because of this it was even stronger.'

Magician David Blaine set a world record in 2008 when he held his breath for 17 minutes and 4 seconds, breaking Mr Colat's previous record of 16 minutes and 32 seconds on Oprah Winfrey's talk show.

According to the British Freediving Association, participants must 'enter a very relaxed state so as to minimise oxygen consumption.'

All Olympic Logos - Amazing

2009-10-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong International Airport - World's Best Airport

2009-10-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong International Airport - World's Best Airport - Amazing

7 Amazing Holes - Don't Dare to Miss this!

2009-10-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Looking at photos like these scares and fascinates me in equal doses. The sheer scale of these holes reminds you of just how tiny you are. Mirny Diamond Mine, Siberia. I'm pretty sure most people have seen this one. It's an absolute beast and holds the title of largest open diamond mine in the world, at 525 metres deep with a top diameter of 1200 metres there's even a no-fly zone above the hole due to a few helicopters being sucked in.

The red arrow in the photo below is pointing to a huge truck.

Kimberley Big Hole - South Africa apparently the largest ever hand-dug excavation in the world, this 1097 metre deep mine yielded over 3 tonnes of diamonds before being closed in 1914.

The amount of earth removed by workers is estimated to total 22.5 million tonnes.

Glory Hole - Monticello Dam - A glory hole is used when a dam is at full capacity and water needs to be drained from the resevoir.

This is the glory hole belonging to monticello dam in california and it's the largest in the world, its size enabling it to consume 14400 cubic feet of water every second.

The hole can be seen at the top middle of the photo above. if you were to jump in for some reason your slightly damp body would shoot out near the bottom of the dam (below).

Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah, this is supposedly the largest man-made excavation on earth. extraction began in 1863 and still continues today, the pit increasing in size constantly. in its current state the hole is 3/4 mile deep and 2.5 miles wide.

Great Blue Hole, Belize situated 60 miles off the mainland of belize is this incredible geographical phenomenon known as a blue hole. there are numerous blue holes around the world but none as stunning as this one.

at surface level the near perfectly circular hole is 1/4 mile wide, the depth in the middle reaching 145 metres. obviously the hole is a huge hit with divers. read more here.

Diavik Mine, Canada this incredible mine can be found 300km northeast of YellowKnife in Canada.

The mine is so huge and the area so remote that it even has its own airport with a runway large enough to accomodate a boeing 737. it also looks equally as cool when the surrounding water is frozen.

Sinkhole, Guatemala - a sinkhole is caused when water (usually rainwater or sewage) is soaked up by the earth on a large scale, resulting in the ground collapsing.

These photos are of a Sinkhole which occured early this year in Guatemala. The hole swallowed a dozen homes and killed at least 3 people.

Officials blamed the monster of a hole on a ruptured sewage pipe.

Two Headed Snake - Amazing Nature

2009-10-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

This is a rare two headed snake found by a farmer in a village in Alicante, Spain. The chances of a two headed snake surviving in the wild is very slim as both would often fight over which head will swallow the prey as well as difficulty in deciding which direction to go.

Amazing Strange City in Greece

2009-10-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

Amazing Strange City situated between rocks in Greece

The Oops Factor!

2009-10-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Things that make you say "Oh my......

2009-10-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

TORNADO

2009-10-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Some of The Best Shooting

2009-10-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

World's Largest Liger (Lion+Tiger)

2009-10-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Know what's a Liger? It's a cross breed of a Lion male and Tiger female...

Read on......

The 10ft Liger who's still growing...

He looks like something from a prehistoric age or a fantastic creation from Hollywood . But Hercules is very much living flesh and blood - as he proves every time he opens his gigantic mouth to roar. Part lion, part tiger, he is not just a big cat but a huge one, standing 10ft tall on his back legs. Called a liger, in reference to his crossbreed parentage, he is the largest of all the cat species.

On a typical day he will devour 20lb of meat, usually beef or chicken, and is capable of eating 100lb at a single setting. At just three years old, Hercules already weighs half a ton.

He is the accidental result of two enormous big cats living close together at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, in Miami, Florida , and already dwarfs both his arents. "Ligers are not something we planned on having," said institute owner Dr Bhagavan Antle. "We have lions and tigers living together in large enclosures and at first we had no idea how well one of the lion boys was getting along with a tiger girl, then loo and behold we had a liger."

50mph runner... Not only that, but he likes to swim, a feat unheard of among water-fearing lions. In the wild it is virtually impossible for lions and tigers to mate. Not only are they enemies likely to kill one another, but most lions are in Africa and most tigers in Asia . But incredible though he is, Hercules is not unique. Ligers have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since shortly before World War II.

Today there are believed to be a handful of ligers around the world and a similar number of tigons, the product of a tiger father and lion mother. Tigons are smaller than ligers and take on more physical characteristics of the tiger.

Look at the size of the head on this thing..

Long Hair

2009-10-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

Kevin Richardson's Brave Friendship

2009-10-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Natural affinity... Kevin Richardson says he relies on instinct and patience to win the animals' trust.

The World's Largest Pool In Chile

2009-10-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

World's Tallest & Smallest Horse

2009-10-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Radar, a Belgian draft horse and reigning Guinness World Record holder as the 'Tallest Living Horse,' at 19 hands 3.5 inches (6ft 6in), and Thumbelina, a miniature sorrel brown mare and the world's 'Smallest Living Horse,' 17.5 inches, are united for the first time for a photo shoot that will appear in the Guinness World Records 2008 edition, on sale August 7th.

Boy with 3 legs : Amazing

2009-10-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Who needs a House Then?

2009-10-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Why we need a house
if a bus like this is available with you.......

Can u eat this CAKE??

2009-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Toilet theme restaurant....Amazing!!!

2009-10-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Situations Where "OH SHIT" Is Considered Appropriate

2009-10-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

Amazing Ads on Trucks!!

2009-10-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

Truck art you won't believe! This is a painting competetion held in Germany. Its a pure ART OF LIVING.

Amazing Twins of This Universe

2009-10-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Can you find the praying Woman and Child?

2009-10-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

Can you find the praying Woman and Child?

Road of Death...Amazing!

2009-10-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Road of Death
Stremnaya road is called the road of death and its situated in Bolivia

Amazing Air Magic!!

2009-10-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

These are some photos of St. Maarten Airport and the planes impress most people on the beach flying over just seconds before touching down at Princess Juliana Airport. This is a just a little too close for comfort.

12 Boeing 747s operate daily to St. Maarten. The heavy jumbo is the most impressive of all and attracts the looks of everybody around...

This photo, from inside one 747 of Air France , it possible to have one idea of the small strip of beachjust before the head of the landing strip for planes in St. Maarten.

Japanese Singer Markets Her Gig by Flashing Her Panties

2009-10-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

It may be akin to a mating call amongst animals but for humans, flashing a colorful butt equals free publicity. At least, that was why aspiring singer Asuka Sawamoto hoisted up her skirt and displayed her assets during a unofficial street gig in Akihabara in early 2008.

The upskirt event occurred on two different instances in March. On both occasions, Sawamoto attracted a curious crowd whilst singing before dazzling them with her lingerie choices.

She also danced provocatively for a bit to ensure that everyone got a 360 degree view of her nether regions.

The exhibitionist was finally led away by police officers.

Sawamoto’s aim in both these endeavors was to promote her live gigs in clubs.

In fact, after her freebie display in Akihabara, she attempted to sell tickets to the eager photographers. From amongst the massive crowd, only one person showed interest in the ticket.

Sawamoto is in fact well-known amongst certain segments of the internet users.

She made a name for herself by performing along with another equally controversial singer where they have tagged themselves as Monrrow Bitch.

Their popularity rises from their use of unconventional moves and skimpy attire.

Sawamoto has also tried other ways to capitalize on her tushie flashing capabilities.

Hence, fans can buy digital downloads of a photo compilation that features Sawamoto and her semi-naked self in various suggestive poses.

She has also attempted to expand her customer base by incorporating similar material into Idol DVDs.

Idol, or gravure idol, is the Japanese reference to a genre of aspiring models who achieve fame and fortune through suggestive skin peeks and other related erotic material.

Time For A Little Head Refreshment

2009-09-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Computers are a huge part of today’s world, but let’s face it—too much time spent staring at a screen can turn your leisurely pursuits into a headache. To deal with this problem, a Japanese company is offering a product that should bring back the revitalizing inspiration your mind so desperately needs.

Introducing Thanko Rare Mono Shop’s USB Head Refresher:

At first glance, it might look like nothing more than a toy robot spider, but it actually has a very practical application. The odd gadget’s vibrating, adjustable legs are designed to be placed on your head, neck, or shoulders for a calming, refreshing massage.

Just plug the USB cable into your computer, flip the switch, and get ready to feel rejuvenated!

While the Head Refresher is specially designed to relieve the stress of operating a computer, you also have the option of popping in a couple double-A batteries and taking the spindly electronic masseuse anywhere you want—the gym, McDonald’s, the beach. You could even show it off the next time you go partying!

Well, at least that’s how Rare Mono Shop is pitching their device. The product description page quite confidently affirms the following: “There is no doubt that everybody will be interested in this little gadget. It will give your party a fun boost. You might become a center of the party.”

I’m sure partygoers would express interest in this product, but the claim for increased popularity is debatable. Let’s face it—would you wear this thing to a party? I didn’t think so.

The Head Refresher’s price tag might seem a little high, but if you’re willing to drop 32 bucks, all the relaxing sensations of an electronic massage will be yours, and if you hang with the right crowds you could also enjoy some social status. Who knows, this thing could even help soothe a hangover in the morning!

Do Demons Lurk in the Halls of Japan’s Buddhist Temples?

2009-09-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Some say the halls of Buddhist temples and museums across Japan are home to many unwanted guests; namely, monster mummies whose preserved remains defy explanation as they stand brazenly on display for all who dare to look.

These mummified demons include incredible monsters, mermaids and even human monks. Some are definitely bogus, but others may well keep you up at night. Take a look but…. don’t forget to check that moving dark spot over your shoulder.

In the Japanese city of Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture, the Zengy temple is home to the mummified head of a three-faced demon. As the legend goes, a resident priest discovered the mummy in a temple storage chamber in the early 18th century.

Nobody knows where the demon head came from or how or why it ended up there. The mummified head has two overlapping faces in front, with another one (resembling that of a kappa, which is a water spirit found in Japanese folklore) situated in back. The temple displays the head each year around the spring equinox.

In the town of Usa (Oita prefecture) another demon mummy is on display at the local temple. Once the treasured heirloom of a noble family, this mummy changed owners several times before ending up in the hands of a parishioner in 1925.

When he fell ill (the owner, not the mummy), a legend was born that the mummy was cursed, a belief that was reinforced by the fact that he quickly recovered from his illness after donating the mummy to the temple where it remains to this day on display as a sacred object.

During the 18th and 19th centuries known as the Edo period in Japan, mermaid mummies often appeared at misemono (side show carnivals). A bizarre art form, these mummies were created by fishermen who perfected techniques for stitching the heads and upper bodies of monkeys and other animals onto the bodies of fish.

The very disturbing mummy depicted below was found in a wooden box that contained passages from a Buddhist sutra written in Sanskrit.

Kappa mummies were also constructed by using odd animal parts ranging from monkeys and owls to stingrays. One notable kappa is located in the town of Imari (Saga prefecture) at the Matsuura sake brewery of all places.

As the story goes, the mummy depicted below was discovered hidden in a box by carpenters replacing the roof more than 50 years ago. The owners of the brewery built a small altar and enshrined it as a river god.

A supernatural sky creature known as a tengu is often depicted as part human and part bird. Japan’s ruling samurai families of the Shogunate period maintained collections of these weird mummies, and one is on display at the Hachinohe Museum (Aomori prefecture) in northern Japan.

Topping the list of mummies are the self-mummified monks of northern Japan who willingly tortured themselves in a three-step process to achieve heavenly nirvana. The Japanese government outlawed this practice in the late 19th century, but the image below tells its own horrible tale.

A view of these creatures raises more questions than answers, which always creates a tinge of discomfort.

Who’s to say what’s real and what isn’t?

Are such things truly in the eye of the beholder?

This Chimp’s Riding In Style

2009-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Meet Pan-kun, a very intelligent chimpanzee who lives in Japan and is known for his appearances on TV shows.

Pan-kun’s televised adventures typically involve learning how to imitate some sort of human activity. In the past, he’s approached such challenges as making noodles, operating a remote-controlled car, and even training with the fire department.

To celebrate his seventh birthday last October, Pan-kun was filmed for the show Shimura Zoo while he learned the basics of riding a Segway. Thankfully, no one was injured in the hilarious experiment, although the daring chimp did have to dive clear a couple times to ensure his own survival.

Right from the start, it’s obvious that Pan-kun has a natural talent for driving the personal transporter forward (at what appears to be full speed, of course), but his inability to stop at first leads him to a couple pretty rough finishes.

Now that, my friends, is what you call a talented monkey!

New Gangster Exams for Japanese Yakuza

2009-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Japanese gangsters are facing an obstacle that can’t be beaten with a nunchaku – a pen and paper exam.

Spotted within the Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate, this Q&A session involved a 12 question paper that tested faction members’ knowledge of gangster lore.

One such question asked for a comprehensive list of taboo activities. The correct answer, as specified on the sample paper, included con jobs involving phones, stealing costly motor vehicles and disposal of industrial waste.

Furthermore, the paper stressed that all gang-related activities had to be approved by the big bosses.

This exam paraphernalia was uncovered by police when they were investigating a crime-related instance involving the Yamaguchi-gumi gang in Shiga Prefecture .

This particular group has a strong presence in Japan with its 40 000 members and thus, has adopted this unconventional method in order to save money. Recent changes to the anti-organized crime law ensured that crime bosses could be fined over the illegal actions of their respective minions.

Such minion actions could be anything from a shoot-out in a street to a bloody bar fight.

In addition to legal moves, civil action by concerned citizens against crime syndicates were becoming increasingly common and have might have contributed to the creation of this exam paper.

One such example was the efforts of Akasaka residents where they won a court appeal to exclude the Inagawa-kai gang from their neighborhood.

Indian Girl Cries Tears of Blood

2009-09-30T10:23:00.001-07:00

In a weird and very unusual twist of medical fate, Rashida Khatoon, a young girl from northeast India cries tears of blood instead of water.

She and her unusual medical condition have been transformed into a holy shrine where worshipers come to watch in awe as blood drips from her eyelids several times a day.

Doctors in the region of Patna, northeast India, have no medical explanation as to the cause of this most unusual anomaly, but local Hindu holy men have declared Rashida a miracle. Followers bow in deference as they stand before her, showering her family with holy offerings.

“I do not feel any pain when it happens, but it’s a shock to see blood instead of water,” said Rashida of her most unusual situation.

What could be the cause of this weird occurrence? Some have suggested a brain tumor or malfunctioning of tear ducts, but there is no medical evidence to support that. No one in authority in fact, seems to know or will even venture a guess, which is even more disconcerting than to watch the phenomenon, which occurs every few hours.

Could Rashida be suffering from a case of a rare phenomenon known as Haemolacria? Little is known about this medical condition other than the fact that it occurs when a person produces tears, which are partially composed of blood. This can manifest as anything from red-tinged tears to those, which appear to be entirely blood.

Bleeding from the eyes is most certainly weird and creepy. It may be the result of a very rare medical condition, but whatever it is, it is not likely to be a gift of any sort from the holier powers that be. If you think about it, how could bleeding from the eyes be a gift except from a very creepy donor?

Mr. Ripley, where are you when we need you anyway?

Man Almost Loses Penis Humping Steel Bench

2009-09-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last night in Hong Kong, the police received a disturbing call from a man in trouble.

Xing, a 41 year-old man, was calling from LanTian park in the middle of the night. The lonely and disturbed man had apparently thought it would be fun to have sex with one of the steel sit-up benches around the park.

The bench has numerous small holes in it, which Xing used to attempt to satisfy himself. However, once he became aroused he found that he was stuck and could not get his penis out of the small hole.

He panicked and called the police to help him.

When police arrive they found Xian stuck face down where he had been stuck for some time.

When doctors arrived on the scene they tried to release some of the pressure by removing some of his blood, but the penis was so swollen that they ended up having to cut the entire bench free and take it, with Xian attached, to the hospital.

4 painful hours later, Doctors finally separated Xian from his bench.

Doctors stated that if he had been stuck for even an hour longer, they would have had to remove his penis.

Lets just say this is probably one bad date that Xing will never forget.

Billionaire Leaves Fortune to Feng Shui Master

2009-09-30T10:20:00.002-07:00

Recently deceased Hong Kong tycoon Nina Wang, once the richest woman in Asia, gave hundreds of millions of dollars to her feng shui consultant in search of a longer life.

Even after her hopes were dashed, when she died at age 69 in 2007, she left billions more to the consultant – her alleged lover – in her will.

Tony Chan, a former bartender and master in the ancient Chinese art of channeling energy known as feng shui, received three gifts of $88 million dollars from the real estate billionaire after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. The gifts were bestowed in 2005 and 2006.

Wang’s siblings are currently challenging Chan’s claim that he is the sole beneficiary of Wang’s will in court. Wang’s estate is reportedly worth thirteen billion dollars. When asked why Wang gave him the extravagant gifts, Chan said “It’s a gift to me. She addressed me as her hubby. She loved me. So it’s a gift.”

Lawrence Lok, the Wang’s family’s lawyer, claimed that the gifts were given when Chan had claimed he could prolong her life while Wang’s health was deteriorating. Earlier in the trial, a doctor claimed that a feng shui master told Wang he could improve her health by taking her hair and clothes to China. Chan denies this.

Wang’s family also claims that the will bestowing her fortune on Chan is a fake.

Maid Charged For Adding Menstrual Blood to Food

2009-09-30T10:20:00.001-07:00

In a bizarre attempt to improve her relationship with her employer, an Indonesian maid has appeared in a Hong Kong court accused of adding menstrual blood to her employer’s food.

Things are not, however, as they seem for Indra Ningsih, aged 26.

Indra mixed menstrual blood into a pot of vegetables as a sort of guaranteed panacea for improving relations between herself and her employer.

It makes a little more sense if one considers that in some southeastern Asian cultures, menstrual blood is thought to have special powers.

Whether true or no, she has been charged with one count of “administering poison destructive or noxious substances with intent to injure” according to the media.

She has not yet entered a plea.

The noxious action was discovered completely by chance. Her female employer whose surname is Mok happened to enter the kitchen to her home and noticed the maid acting rather strangely. She caught her throwing something into the trash bin, which turned out to be a used sanitary napkin.

When she looked into the pot of vegetables, she noticed something “suspicious” floating around mixed with the vegetables and water.

Indra had no excuse except to say that things had been bad between her employer and herself, and she hoped to improve things.

Well, Indra, not likely.

Engrish Shirts

2009-09-30T10:19:00.001-07:00

Engrish is the often humorous grammatical translation failure between an Asian language, normally Japanese, and English.

You can find a little Engrish on almost anything that contains writing, like products, clothing, signs, advertisements, and just about anything else you can think of.

This section will focus on Engrish shirts, which can be the funniest Engrish moments, since we often associate what is translated on the shirt with the wearer.

Don’t forget to check out all the various galleries in the Weird Asia News Engrish Section.

Japan’s Indoor Beach: Where The Surf is Always Up

2009-09-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

The world’s one and only indoor beach can be found in Japan’s Ocean Dome about 1,200 miles south of Tokyo in Miyazaki, on Japan’s southernmost Kyushu Island.

Here, the water is always blue and salt-free, waves are perfectly timed, sharks are elsewhere, and its never too hot, or cold, to take a dip.

Japan’s Ocean Dome even has its own marble sand and a volcano that spits fake flames every hour, on the hour. Shores are sanitized; permitting surfers to drip-dry in the perfect climate, which never varies, day and night, every day of the year.

The Ocean Dome also boasts the world’s largest retractable roof.

The beach sits inside a vast dome that measures 300 x 100 meters (984 feet x 328 feet). The heated ocean sends 13,500 tons of salt-free water sweeping across 600 tons of polished marble chips that comprise a long shoreline.

The world’s largest artificial sea washes over the world’s biggest indoor beach, fringed with artificial fish and fauna.

Bogus parrots ruffle their feathers and squawk at tourists from the rainforest that has no rain.

There are no bugs here or sun burns either.

But like most things in life, entrance into this paradise costs. Visitors pay with payment tokens that are computer-coded plastic tags. Admission runs about US $50 for adults, with rides running $5-10 more. Add $10 more for two hours with a boogie board, or $5 for two hours of inner tube rental.

Visitors are offered many diversions in the form of shopping centers tennis courts and golf courses. On the other side of the beach is the plastic rainforest, where guests can travel among holographic sea pirates, demons and dinosaurs.

Who could ask for anything more?

Woman Delivers ‘Stone Baby’ After 60 Year Pregnancy

2009-09-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

In a bizarre turn of events straight out of Mr. Ripley’s personal files, comes this true story of a 92-year-old woman who delivered a child (albeit not a live baby) she had been carrying for over half a century! (Long pregnancies are one thing, but THAT is ridiculous!)

Huang Yijun, aged 92, is from southern China and she recently made news after delivering a baby known as a lithopedion, aka ‘Stone Baby’.

Huang Yijun told the press she didn’t have the money to have her fetus removed after doctors told her it had died inside her in 1948.

So she simply did nothing at all about it.

Lithopedion is a very rare medical phenomenon, which occurs when a pregnancy fails and the fetus actually calcifies while still in the mother’s body.

Medically speaking, what often happens is the implanted fetus gets to an advanced stage before it dies. Too large to be absorbed by the body, the remains of the child or its surrounding amniotic sac slowly calcify, turning to stone as a way to protect the woman’s body from infection from the decomposing tissue.

If no complications occur, believe it or not, the mother can basically just go on with her life.

According to the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, only 290 cases of lithopedions have ever been documented by medical literature.

Child Born with Second Penis in the Middle of His Back

2009-09-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Fetus in Fetu (FIF) is a rare and very mysterious medical condition that is said to have occurred (or at least is recorded to have occurred) less than ninety times throughout medical history.

For the little boy born in Tianjin’s Children Hospital in China, the second penis in the middle of his tiny back is a medical first and even weirder than some other instances of this highly unusual phenomenon.

The baby presented no problems when it came into the world with the help of midwives on May 27, 2008, at the Hejian Maternity Center, which is part of Tianjin Children’s Hospital.

What seemed like a routine birth, however, soon turned into a story from Ripley’s Believe it or Not, as midwives and medical staff could not have been more surprised to see a little boy endowed with a second penis in the middle of his back.

Born to farmer dad, Li Jun, 30, and his wife, who live in Central China’s Henan Province, the extra penis was safely removed.

There are complicated theories about this condition that relate to the abnormal formation of twins in utero (parasitic twin theory), but this manifestation is just too weird for any of the medical books.

For now, doctors are content to say that after three hours of surgery, the extra penis is gone and the little boy is doing fine.

Brick Wielding Grandpa Attacks Red-light Runners

2009-09-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

The daring vigilante act of a retired teacher captured the world’s imagination last month when he smashed the cars of traffic violators with a brick. The three hour spectacle took place in the city of Lanzhou and a total of fourteen cars suffered under the wrath of Yan Zhenping.

Reports claim that the seventy-four year old man armed himself with a brick one night and waited patiently by the pedestrian crossing.

Mummies known as ‘Cherchen Man and Family’ (three women and a baby) who were members of the ancient Caledonii tribe of central Scotland, have been unearthed in a burial site thousands of miles east of where the Celts established their biggest European settlements in France and the British Isles.

They were found in the Taklamakan desert in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, in whose language the word “Taklamakan” means, “you go in and never come out.”

The mummies are currently housed in glass display cases in a new museum in the provincial capital of Urumqi.

The male mummy had hair of reddish brown, high cheekbones, a long nose, full lips and a ginger beard; hardly Oriental in any way. He stood six feet tall and was buried wearing a red twill tunic and tartan leggings. Even his DNA indicates that he was indeed Celtic in origin.

One of the women sharing his tomb has light brown hair, which appears to have been freshly brushed and braided. Her face is painted with curling designs, and her striking red burial gown is still lustrous even after three thousand years under the sand of the Northern Silk Road.

The bodies are far better preserved than Egyptian mummies. The baby was wrapped in a beautiful brown cloth tied with red and blue cord, and a blue stone was placed on each eye. Beside the child was a milk bottle made from a sheep’s udder.

The Cherchen appear to have been a peaceful folk, as there are few weapons among the mummies find and there is little evidence of a caste system.

China Cracks Down On Sexting

2009-09-30T10:13:00.001-07:00

How do you solve the problem of cell phone users who send sexually explicit text messages? Well, if you’re the Chinese government, you just monitor everyone’s text messages and throw the sleazy sexters in jail for awhile.

According to a recent report, people in the central Henan province who can’t control their erotic impulses and get caught may be fined or sent to jail for up to five days. And that’s for only one infraction—three or more messages could get you as many as 10 days in prison, plus the fine as well.

Additionally, the northeastern Liaoning province announced earlier in the year that inappropriate messages could be considered sexual harassment.

In other parts of China the solution wasn’t as simple as that. Apparently, party officials in Shenze county (in the Hebei province) sat down at 480 different meetings over a month’s time to discuss the pros and cons of sexting.

Yes, that’s 480 meetings! And they didn’t even specify what the basic punishment would be, although serious textual offenders will have the dubious honor of seeing their names flashed all over the media. Or, to put it bluntly—“Go ahead and sext, but we’re gonna shame you to death, you pervert.”

With over 600 million cell phone users in China, explicit text messages are becoming an increasing problem. It’s no fun to receive an obscene SMS, especially if you don’t know the person who sent it.

“It’s uncomfortable to get dirty text messages from male friends and even more gross when they are from strangers,” said Zhang Kai, 26, who thinks the new rules are a good idea.

Others, however, aren’t convinced.

“There are so many text messages going on now,” said Wang Xiaoyang, a lawyer from Zhenzhou. “How can they be checked one by one? It takes considerable personnel and resources from the public security system.”

Well, since China does monitor all internal communications, I’m sure the government will find a way to catch all the vulgar vagabonds. In the meantime, just play it smart if you’re in China—don’t send that sext message!

Rare Long-Eared Jerboa Poses for a Picture

2009-09-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Mountain of Flames in Turpan City, China, known for having the coolest name for a mountain in existence, has a new distinction to add to its credentials: home for the rare long-eared Jerboa.

The long-eared Jerboa (Euchoreutes naso) is a nocturnal rodent that is so unique, it has its own genus (Euchoreutes) and subfamily (Euchoreutinae). It possess disproportionately long legs to hop everywhere, making it resemble a bizarre hybrid of a kangaroo, mouse and rabbit.

Its distinguishing characteristic are its large ears, which are used to help avoid detection by predators such as the small owl.

The long-eared Jerboa lives in desert-like conditions in northwest China and southern Mongolia such as the Gobi Desert, spending the majority of the daylight hours in one of four types of self-constructed burrows and foraging for food at night.

Two temporary burrows are used for daylight and nighttime shelter, while two permanent burrows are used for raising young in the summer and hibernating in the winter.

While many Jerboa species subsist on a diet of nuts and seeds, the long-eared Jerboa is unique in that it is thought to have a diet that consists primarily of insects. Unfortunately, very little is known about the creature, and encroachment of their habitat by humans is threatening their existence.

They are currently on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and served as one of the top-ten 2007 focal points of EDGE: Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered project.

Raging River Preferable to Nagging Wife

2009-09-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

Unable to deal with the endless nagging of his wife any longer, a Chinese man felt the raging waters of the Yangtze River were an adequate substitute.

Zhou, a truck driver, and his wife were on a ferry when the man ran out with his hands placed firmly over his ears, shouting, “I can’t take it anymore!” Crew members on the ship initially felt he had injured his ears, though his predicament became far more apparent when his wife ran up to him and continued nagging.

After being questioned by the crew and finally pushed to the boiling point of his nagging wife, the man placed his hands over his ears in a gesture of defiance, said “I need a break,” and jumped over the railing and into the river.

Lighting the water, they searched for sign of the man but to no avail. Presumed dead, he surfaced 2 kilometers on the other side of the river, safe and sound.

The man was quoted as saying to the police, “I felt I was dying, but even that’s better than my wife’s nagging.” Zhou’s wife met up with her husband at the local police station, promising him to end the nagging, or at least when they’re on a boat.

Ugly Blind Date Causes Teen Suicide

2009-09-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Lying about your age and beauty is par for the course when it comes to Internet dating. In China, such deceptions had deadly results for one lovesick teen who killed himself after a disappointing meeting with an Internet ‘hotty’ he had been chatting with.

The 17-year-old boy from the northeastern Heilongjiang province, whose name has not been released, chatted with what he thought was a 19-year-old girl for weeks on popular free Chinese instant messaging and chatroom service Tencent QQ.

The woman, who used the name Qunjiaofeiyang (meaning “Flying Skirt”) in chats with the boy, described herself as beautiful and the two had conversations online for weeks before deciding to meet in person. When they finally met in the nearby town of Mudanjiang, the woman turned out to be ten years the boy’s senior – and much less attractive than advertised.

Disappointed and depressed, the teen returned home immediately and discontinued eating and sleeping. He made the tragic choice to end his life through hanging himself four days later.

The teen is just one of many in China, which has one of the world’s highest suicide rates.

Chinese Farmer Breeds Divine-Looking Pear

2009-09-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

What’s green, juicy, and sweet, and improves your karma? You’ll never guess!

For centuries, statues of a sitting, big-bellied Buddha have illustrated what’s commonly called a “pear-shaped” physique. Now a Chinese farmer has turned the tables: Instead of a pear-shaped Buddha, he has given us a Buddha-shaped pear.

The technique, which took Gao Xianzhang six years to perfect, involves confining each piece of fruit in a plastic mold for a certain amount of time as it grows. There are no reports on the flavor just yet, but that’s presumably not much of a priority.

The response to the unusual fruit, at least in Gao’s Hebei province locale, suggests that he’s struck gold with his concept. Whether for superstitious reasons or just novelty value, people have been snatching up the pears, even at a price of about $10 apiece.

Now Gao hopes the rest of the world will catch on too. His next crop is expected to be some 10,000 pears, and he plans to start shipping them to Europe.

It all makes you wonder what fruit might look like once farmers across China begin to adopt Mr. Gao’s process. Will your average shopper come home someday with a bag full of BMW-shaped pears, or cheeseburger-shaped apples? Can the day of the Michael Jackson kumquat be far off?

Tamarin Monkeys Rock Out To Metallica

2009-09-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Primates of the human variety like many different types of music – from classical to rap to country to rock- but monkeys are a little pickier. Researchers in Bejing have recently found that monkeys were calmed by heavy metal while ignoring other kinds of music.

Several different samples of music, including Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis and Bach, were played for a group of cotton-top tamarin monkeys, but the testees were disinterested in all of them.

However, when researchers put on Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”, the monkeys responded positively and placidly – unlike most parents of metalheads and counter to the hypothesis of the scientists, who anticipated that the heavy metal track would agitate the primates.

While the Tamarins enjoyed Metallica, they were far more interested in tunes composed specifically for them by cellist David Teie. They also displayed strong reactions to melodies composed of calls of monkeys; the sample group responded with increased anxiety levels to music composed of distressed Tamarin calls, and were calmed by the long calls that signify happiness in their species.

“Monkeys interpret rising and falling tones differently than humans. Oddly, their only response to several samples of human music was a calming response to the heavy-metal band Metallica,” said lead researcher Charles Snowdon. “If we understand how we can affect their emotional states through using musical tones and aspects of our speech, maybe those of us living with companion animals can have a better relationship with them, too.”

Are Two Snake Heads More Poisonous Than One?

2009-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

A two-headed cobra has been born in China. Such anomalies among snakes are rare but they do happen. As far as anyone knows, this is the first incidence of such an occurrence with a cobra.

The owner of the snake is one Mr. Liu, a railroad worker who breeds snakes as a hobby. He bought 10 snake eggs to hatch at his home in Jiangxi province in eastern China.

He got the surprise of his life when he first saw the reptile, which is able to eat out of both sides of its mouth simultaneously.

“When the cobras hatched out, one of them had two heads. The cobra is able to eat using both of its mouths…Its four eyes were cloudy at birth, but that will change when the snake sheds its skin for the first time,” said Liu.

Snakes born two heads have been known to live up to 20 years in captivity, and Thelma and Louise, a two-headed snake that lived at the San Diego Zoo in California, had 15 offspring during her lifetime. Still, these snakes have many difficulties, and two heads aren’t better than one in this instance.

The major problem with this anomaly is that both snake heads have to decide they are hungry at the same time, and then they have to agree to pursue the same prey. Then they might fight over which head gets to swallow the prey.

To make matters even more complicated, since snakes operate by smell, if one head catches the scent of prey on the other’s head, it may attack and try to swallow its second head!

Snakes with two heads occur in the same way Siamese twins are born to humans. A developing embryo starts out normally as it begins to split into identical twins, but then for some unknown reason that process is interrupted part way, leaving the twins joined. Variations occur at the point the embryo ceases to separate, and snakes, just like Siamese twins, can be joined at the breast, hip or head.

A spokesman for the local wild animal protection centre said the two-headed snake was most likely the result of genetic mutation.

Mother Nature is a trickster, no?

What do YOU think about this?

Fluorescent Cloned Korean Cats

2009-09-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

In an effort to develop treatments for human genetic diseases, South Korean scientists have manipulated the fluorescent protein gene in a cloning process that has left three cloned cats with a rather weird side effect: They Glow when exposed to ultraviolet beams.

“The ability to produce cloned cats with the manipulated genes is significant as it could be used for developing treatments for genetic diseases and for reproducing model (cloned) animals suffering from the same diseases as humans,” the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement.

Cats have some 250 different genetic diseases that are similar to humans, so there is great potential in finding cures to various genetic problems.

This is a huge breakthrough for South Korea. They suffered some setbacks last year, after experiments the cloning expert Hwang Woo-Suk conducted, turned out to be fake.

South Korea to Build Robot Cities by 2013

2009-09-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

If you’ve liked watching Lt. Commander Data, the positronic-brained second officer, in the sci-fi series Star Trek, then you’d love to hear this.

The South Korean government plans to build two robot-themed parks close to Seoul, one in the bustling seaport of Incheon, and another in Masan by the year 2013.

The megaproject, the first of its kind on the planet, is estimated to cost a whopping $1.6 billion, and will feature an array of robotic marvels allowing visitors to interact with tomorrow’s machines.

According to reports published on the web site Korea.net, the two cities are being developed as futuristic hubs, poised to become the country’s Silicon Valley of robotics.

Robotics is considered to be one of South Korea’s booming industries and it has grown by leaps and bounds over the past five years, recording a 40 percent jump since the year 2003, the site reported.

To ensure that the robotics sector continues to see such growth rates, recently, the government drew up what is known as the Robot Ethics Code, a code of ethics that will prevent android abuse by humans as well as the other way round.

It’s basically a how-to manual for both robot-makers and robot-users that tells them how to relate to robots.

Given that the government aims to install a robot in every household by the year 2020, perhaps, that isn’ such a quixotic idea.

What’s more, in a recently-out book titled “Love and Sex with Robots“, a British Artificial Intelligence researcher David Levy, predicts that robots will advance to such phenomenal levels in the coming years that it’ll be possible for humans to even marry them by 2050.

Blind 5 Year-Old Pianist Next Mozart?

2009-09-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Yoo Ye-eun, a 5 year-old South Korean girl is being talked about as though she might be the next Mozart.

Ye-eun was born without eyes and was abandoned by her parents.

She has never received formal piano lessons, yet even at the age of 3, she could play any song she heard after listening to it a single time.

The blind pianist received a large amount of recognition after a video of her performance received more than 27 million views on a popular Korean website called Pandora TV.

A similar clip on YouTube had received two million hits before it was removed.

‘She has perfect pitch even though she has never learnt to play. We never taught her,’ said Ye-eun’s adoptive mother, Park Jung Soon.

In May she performed a duet of ‘You Raise me Up’ with 7 year-old British singer Connie Talbot, who last year starred in reality show Britain’s Got Talent.

Woman Addicted to Surgery Injects Oil Into Her Face

2009-09-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hang Mioku, who had her first plastic surgery at the age of 28, is a cosmetic surgery addict who has let her obsession with surgeries ruin her life.

After her first plastic surgery, her addiction led her to Japan where she received additional operations on her face, which eventually became enlarged and deformed.

Eventually the surgeons she was visiting told her that they would no longer perform operations on her and suggested she seek help for her addiction.

Upon, returning home to Korea, Mioku was so deformed that her own family could no longer recognize her.

After searching for someone who would perform more surgeries on here, she found a local Korean doctor who provided her with silicone, which she would self inject into her face with a needle.

Mioku was so addicted to plastic surgery, she would even inject cooking oil into her face when the silicone supply ran out.

Recently, Mioku was featured on a Korean TV show for her addiction and deformities. Many viewers sent in money to help her get additional surgeries to help reduce the size of her face.

Having seen the error in her decisions, Mioku only wishes she could go back and have her original face back.

Strange Humanoid Carp Found in Pond

2009-09-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

The hybrid descendants of a carp and a leather carp (tangerine fish) are the new sensation in the small South Korean town of Chongju because of their "humanoid" facial features.

The look suddenly appears after observing the front part of their heads for a moment or two. Two lines and two dots on their heads bear some resemblance to human eyes.

The local newspapers managed to snap some sensational pictures of the fish, which are about 80 centimeters long (more than three feet) and 50 centimeters (almost two feet) in circumference.

The fish live in a pond behind the home of a 64-year old South Korean man and have been there since 1986, although they have never attracted such public attention before.

â€œMy fish have been getting more and more human for the past couple of years, said the owner of the unusual fish species.

The two fish are females so it will not be possible for them to breed others of their very odd ilk. They remain two very weird members of a very dynamic and eerie cosmos.

Genetically Engineered Pups Glow Red

2009-09-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of a glowing red dog? No, well, you may be the first on the block to get one if you live anywhere near Seoul, South Korea.

There, it seems, scientists purport to have genetically engineered four beagle pups that glow red. They boast that their cloning techniques might be able to develop cures for diseases that affect humans who don’t know how to bark.

Ruppy is the name given to the world’s first transgenic female beagle dog carrying fluorescent genes that make the canine glow red. Demonstrating a non-creative flow of energy, all four of these amazing puppies are named Ruppy, which is a combination of the words, ruby and puppy.

These dogs look like any other beagles you might come across by light of day. After the sun goes down, however, it is a different story.

These amazing puppies glow red under ultraviolet light and their nails and abdomens, which have thin skins, look red even to the naked eye. Why anyone would want a red dog is a question no one wants to address (or at least so it seems), but Seoul National University professor Lee Byeong-chun, head of the research team, called these dogs carrying fluorescent genes an achievement that goes beyond just the glowing novelty.

The team of scientists identified the dogs as clones of a cell donor through DNA tests and recorded their experiments on the website of the journal, Genesis. Fluorescent mice and pigs have been cloned before in Europe, Japan and the United States, but this marks the first time dogs with modified genes have been cloned successfully.

“What’s significant in this work are not the dogs expressing red colors but that we planted genes into them. The glowing dogs show it is possible to successfully insert genes with a specific trait, which could lead to implanting other, non-fluorescent genes that could help treat specific diseases, like Parkinson’s,” said Professor Lee.

Rented “Friends” Pad Wedding Guest Lists

2009-09-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

“Help!! Our wedding’s not expensive enough!” When’s the last time you heard someone say that? How about never?

The problem with weddings in the Western world is usually too high a price, not too low. Sure, you could reduce expenses by shrinking the guest list. But there’s the boss—oh, and Jim and Frank next door—and oh my God we nearly forgot Great-Aunt Esther…

In Asia, though, matters of status and saving face often trump matters of finance. And if making a good impression means bribing a few well-dressed strangers to attend your wedding, well, what’s a few extra yen, or won, or rupees, anyway?

Let’s say your problem is too few guests at your Japanese wedding. No sweat! The firm Office Agents in Tokyo will rent you some for a mere $200 apiece, all very presentable. Throw in 50 more bucks and they’ll sing a song. Add another hundred and you get a flattering speech too. (Incidentally, they’re available for funerals as well.)

Head counts matter at weddings in Japan, where the ideal celebration features the maximum number of relatives, friends, and coworkers. Likewise, it’s important to balance the number of guests on the groom’s side and the number on the bride’s.

Office Agents’ Hiroshi Mizutani tells of one wedding in which the groom’s entire party, all 30 of them, were shills. It being his second marriage, the groom didn’t care to trouble the same batch of people the second time around.

Koreans like to beef up their guest lists too, but the going rate is much lower than Japan’s. For as little as $16, a smiling guest will chitchat with the bride and compliment her on her dress, and even present the happy couple with a gift envelope.

Keep in mind that your rent-a-guest is likely to duck out just before group photos are taken, so your keepsake pictures don’t end up full of strangers.

Count on Indian agencies, though, to offer the very best rates for phony wedding guests. A 2005 report on the Best Guests Center, in Rajasthan, quoted a price of 600 rupees, only about 12 bucks! And talk about value for your money: Not only can you expect a guest who is well dressed; he’ll also be tall, well-spoken, and, yes, light-skinned. Nasty work, but somebody’s gotta do it!

Naked News Korea Loses More Than Just Clothes

2009-09-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Subscribers to the Korean version of the Naked News Franchise were shocked to find themselves cut off from the service recently. They soon discovered that the service was shut down after the company CEO disappeared, leaving behind a trail of non-payments and several unhappy staff members.

Naked News Korea was launched with a bang on June 23 and promised skin-peek news readers in the style of the Naked News franchise. Thus, as viewers were hit with the best and worst of breaking news, the gradually disrobing announcers were meant to fill in the entertainment value.

When it started out, nine eager announcers were nabbed for the show and the subscription base supposedly jumped to an impressive 260 000 in a month. This type of acceptance is hardly surprising given that this also the home of the “Love Land“.
However, braless news-reading reached a snag and ended up grinding to a halt on July 30th.

In the ruckus that followed, viewers learned the ugly truth behind a show which, in hindsight, had the unfortunate slogan, “There is nothing to hide”. Firstly, it turned out that the enterprising CEO, John Chau, had neglected to pay the staff members for that period.

His exact intentions or reasons are unknown. In fact, many of his former workers are pointing out that his exact whereabouts are a mystery as well.

Other ugly warts and blisters that popped up during this expose included the exact nature of the Korean brand of Naked News. For one thing, staff were shocked to discover that the parent company didn’t have a hand or say in this version.
Rather, Mr Chau had simply nabbed the right to use the brand name.

Secondly, despite claims of offering news sans clothes, it appeared that the announcers had signed on for the semi-nude version or, as known in some breakfasting circles, the “reading the paper in your undies” event.

The staff pointed out that management did attempt to reel increase the sex appeal of the show by requesting a full strip tease. Subsequently, more than half of the original announcers left in a huff while four of the original team remained.

Finally, matters came to a head when the CEO disappeared without paying his staff or naked news readers.

The unpaid staff are currently seeking justice and authorities are hoping to cover this matter swiftly.

South Korea To Categorize Dogs as Livestock?

2009-09-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Is the world going to the dogs or are the poor dogs going the way of the world? The answer is up in the air, at least in Seoul, South Korea, where an appeal has been made to the central government to propose categorization of dogs as livestock in order to properly regulate the trade of dog meat and strengthen sanitation inspections.

The purpose of the proposal is to address the absence of regulations concerning the sale of dog meat, which is considered a delicacy in Korea. City officials claim that proper categorization of dogs as livestock will force things to improve.

“The real problem is, we cannot regulate the sanitation process of how dog meat is served due to the lack of regulations. We will have a series of public hearings to discuss the issue as it’s a necessary step,” said one official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG).

The way things are, dogs are considered the same as donkeys, rabbits, horses and deer; that is, not livestock such as beef and chicken. This permits mass breeding, butchering and serving of dog meat in restaurants, but does not allow authorities to apply the same regulations regarding livestock to dog meat.

Animal rights groups and dog lovers have loudly and openly criticized the treatment of dogs in South Korea. In 2001, a law was proposed to set up proper regulations concerning dog meat and its categorization as “livestock,” but it was scrapped due to pressure from animal rights protesters.

Dog meat is considered a natural product. Whatever this may indicate for a lack for better laws, this situation is not likely to change soon. For now, the way the laws are set up the authorities can only take a legal action against those who butcher dogs in a brutal way or cause pollution to the environment during the slaughter process.

Is the world going to the dogs?

What do you think?

Salt Detector Could Mean Healthier Koreans

2009-09-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Salt. Where would we be without it? It improves the flavor of everything; even sweet foods get tastier with the addition of a few grains of salt. But most doctors say that when it comes to salt, there can be too much of a good thing.

The people of Korea don’t seem to have caught on to that message yet. The average Korean reportedly takes in some 13.4 grams of sodium per day. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider this: The recommended daily limit set by the World Health Organization is only 5 grams!

The folks at South Korea’s Rural Development Administration felt that something needed to be done about this dietary imbalance, and they went to work on the problem. Their proposed solution costs about 20 bucks and fits right in your pocket.

The innovative new weapon in the war on salt is a thermometer-sized gadget that tests the salinity of your food. Just dip its tip into a bowl of soup, wait three seconds, and a little numerical display will tell you whether you’re pushing your luck healthwise by eating the meal you’ve just been served.

It remains to be seen whether the general public will go for it. Among other things, the RDA doesn’t say what you’re supposed to do if your prospective lunch exceeds the advisable threshold. The potential for arguments between waitresses and customers trying to send back their food seems huge.

And by the way: It’s considered very rude to lick it clean.

Kami Kami Bite Counter: Eat Your Veggies and Count Each Bite!

2009-09-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Does your child swallow his or her food whole? Do you have to be careful that utensils don’t get in the way when your child is seated and eating at the dining room table?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then you will benefit from the Kami Kami (means chew in Japanese) Bite Sensor Counter for kids.

Japanese gadgetry is running amuck (or at least some of the companies behind the gadgets are), and the Kami Kami Bite Counter, from Nitto Kagaku, doesn’t disappoint.

This gadget attempts to make sure children fit into society properly, exhibiting good eating etiquette and manners at all times, but the question is: did it go too far?

How can a child avoid becoming neurotic if forced to don this headgear every time he or she sits down to eat? It’s enough to ruin anyone’s appetite.

Eating slowly and taking smaller bites are good things to teach a child as so many of are in a hurry when we eat and don’t really enjoy our meals. Chewing one’s food the right number of times, however, can be a senselessly exhausting task to keep track of as one goes through life.

This gadget throws off forever the old adage about “biting off more than you can chew.” Perhaps it’s good training for counting raindrops and snowflakes so that calculations for blizzards and floods can be accurately noted?

What do YOU think about this?

Creamy Dessert Makes a Mockery of Tradition

2009-09-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Could it be true? Has Japan, the land of the eternally small—small homes, small cars, small people—decided to turn over a new leaf and venture into the world of bigness? Could a gargantuan creme caramel spell the end of Japan as we know it?

As if to spit in the eye of centuries of Japanese miniaturizing, the people at Takara Tomy have created the astounding Giga Pudding, a flan so large you have to make it in a bucket. Luckily, the bucket’s included.

Giga Pudding’s a cinch to make at home. Just follow the simple directions on the pail, and then remove every single thing from your teensy-weensy Japanese refrigerator so you can somehow wedge it in there. A few hours’ wait and presto!, creamy dessert for you and 19 of your closest friends.

You’d have thought they would go about it in steps. They could have started with a Kilo Pudding, for instance, then graduated to a Mega Pudding. But no—with this invention, Takara Tomy’s mad dessert scientists have propelled pudding directly to the Giga level, to a size larger than the average Japanese head.

Some observers believe this insult to tradition can only lead to trouble. Rumors are already circulating of Yakuza gangsters strong-arming their way into parties and scooping off the Giga Pudding’s sugary brown top for themselves. Some people will stop at nothing!

Snake with a Foot Discovered in China

2009-09-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

A snake measuring sixteen inches long has been discovered in China by Dean Qiongxiu, making its grand entrance by clinging to the bathroom wall with a clawed talon.

Unfortunately, its life was cut short when she beat it to death with a shoe as it attempted to defy evolution and scurry across the wall using its single foot. Preserving the specimen in alcohol, it was turned over to the Department of Life Sciences at West Normal University in Nanchang.

According to resident snake expert Long Shuai, the cause of the foot remains unknown, though an autopsy may reveal why. This biological anomaly is in a way similar to the growth of an extra head, which shares similarities in the way humans develop into conjoined twins.

Unlike two-headed snakes, however, human conjoined twins don’t often attack each other. A snake with two heads has little chance of surviving for a long time in the wild, though one can only guess the physical limitations or advantages a snake with an extra foot might have.

It’s only a matter of time before regular snakes evolve into walking monsters and take over the world.

Thailand Police Don Smiley Masks: Ha, Ha… Wha?

2009-09-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

In Bangkok, Thailand, motorcycle policemen patrol the city wearing anti-pollution masks with bright red grins painted upon them.

In an odd attempt at improving public relations between the police and the populace, the highway policemen of Thailand wear the masks to lift the moods of passing motorists.

This past year has been no laughing matter for the lovely country known once known as “The Land of Smiles.” Unstable government, an increase in mob violence and a decrease in tourism due to the recent hostile takeover of Bangkok’s airports have created a volatile environment with little to smile about.

“For our highway policemen, we have the policy that the police must be friendly and smiling all the time, but the problem is, when we’re tired, it’s hard to keep smiling,” said Colonel Somyos Promnim, the Highway Police commander.

The Thai smile is as enigmatic as that of the courtly lady depicted in Da Vinci’s masterpiece, Mona Lisa. It is as mysterious and as complicated in meaning as the bow is to the Japanese, and it also requires just as many muscles.

The communication problem with foreign visitors is quite obvious. They may be charmed outwardly by the smiles, but language and cultural barriers preclude their understanding of what is behind that smile. What is the real expression on the face behind the face, so to speak?

“They have to put on a mask because a smile doesn’t come naturally anymore… These past few years that smile has worn thin because we are all angry at each other and willing to show it,” says economist, Ammar Siamwalla.

Recently, Abac, a leading polling agency, spent three days questioning more than 2,000 people in the Bangkok area only to discover that on a scale of 1 to 10, people gave Thailand only 5.77 points for being the “Land of Smiles.”

One customer service company has taken the lead by giving its employees mirrors so that they can practice the effect their smiles have on others.

In Japan, workers have been trained to hold a chopstick between their upper lips and their noses to produce the living equivalent of a smiling emoticon.

“People forget to smile… but I think with better training we can do a better job. Training should always be one of the top categories for anyone,” says Kritika Kongsompong, a professor of business who for a year was Thailand’s grim hostess of the television show, The Weakest Link.

Thailand’s Prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, promised his people that Thailand will once again become the land of smiles.

The highway police seem to be as good a place to start as any.

So what is everyone waiting for?

Put on a happy face!

Amazing Art Pics for Sharp Mind People Only

2009-09-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

1. Are they ships or pillers!!!!

2. Are they audiences or buildings ?????

3. How many horses are there in this picture? Should find seven??

4. Impossible ring

5. In the forest there are five hidden deers.......Can you find all of them???

6. How many pillers are there ,three or two ????? Look at the middle column. Where does it end?

7. Who is the tallest?

8. What do you see here? Do you see the word "LIFT"? Or, a bunch of black

Spiderman Climbs Skyscraper

2009-07-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Frenchman Alain Robert (“the human spider”) has scaled over 80 giant structures around the world. Here he takes just 20 minutes to make it to the top of a 150-meter building in Abu Dhabi — not one to watch if you’re scared of heights.

Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2009

2009-07-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

On July 4, 2009, Joey Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, beating his previous record by nine seconds. If that’s not an incredible feat, we don’t know what is.

Is 8ft Zhao Liang The World's Tallest Man?

2009-06-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

A Chinese man has become a contender for the title of the world's tallest man, after measuring in at more than 8ft.

Zhao Liang, 27, entered the Tianjin hospital for an operation to relieve pain from an old muscle tendon injury on his left foot. His height caused a stir among hospital staff who urged him to get measured properly.

They discovered that Mr Zhao is 8.07 ft tall (2.46m), making him 3.9 inches (10cm) taller than Bao Xishun, the current tallest man, who is 7.9ft (2.36m).

Mr Zhao, who lives in Henan province, had been training as a basketball player when he sustained the debilitating foot injury over a decade ago.

He was unemployed until 2006, when an art troupe in Jilin province enrolled him to perform magic tricks and play the saxophone and flute.

Mr Zhao's parents are of a more usual height, with his father measuring 5.9ft (1.8m) and his mother, 5.5 ft (1.68m).

Wang Keyun, Mr Zhao's mother, said he has a big appetite and can easily eat eight hamburger-sized steamed buns and three dishes for dinner.

"But I am so worried about his marriage, job and his health that my hair has turned white," she said.

Liu Yuchen, a surgeon at the hospital, declared the operation a success.

He said Mr Zhao will be able to walk normally two months after his surgery but advised against any intense physical exercise.

Dr Liu said he is in good health and has no complications related to his height.

Bao Xishun (known as the Mongolian mast) is currently recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world's tallest man.

Mr Zhao's height has not yet been independently verified by the Guinness judges, but doctors at Tianjin Anjie Hospital measured his height as part of a medical checkup under the glare of the media and he is now seeking official recognition.

The Art of Making Tattooooooooooos

2009-06-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Amazing Faces on Earth

2009-06-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

Amazing Faces on Earth -- Believe it or Not

Woman with the Longest Tongue

2009-06-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

This - Heidi Hamilton, the mistress phenomenally long tongue: 11 cm You just imagine the average length of human language does not exceed 5-6 cm When Heidi begins to show it, it becomes a bit zhutkovato

Vagina Ripped Apart by Water Fountain

2009-06-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

Water fountain shows have always been a big draw for people. Whether you are taking a moment to enjoy the world famous Bellagio fountain show or the smaller, but still amazing, Tianyi Sqaure show in Ningbo, China, you are likely to enjoy the overall experience.

Yang, a 19 year-old college student, had a very different experience.

In August of 2007, Yang was at a local center square in the Henan Province of China. She went with some friends to enjoy the day and see the musical water fountain show.

Yang and her friends were playing in the water fountain area and enjoying the light burst of water that would spray them. All of a sudden, while Yang was struck by a powerful burst of water that threw her into the air.

After the fall, Yang experienced extreme stomach pains and was bleeding badly. She was immediately taken to the hospital to undergo medical care.

The doctor said that the fountains water pressure had torn her vagina and damaged her intestines.

During the following 7 months, Yang received 3 surgeries to repair the damage, which left her some pretty bad scars.

Yang is suing the owners of the fountain for around $24,500 in damages.

Hadaka Matsuri: The Naked Man Festival

2009-06-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

Japan… Where else can you go to see thousands of loincloth-clad men soaking wet and frolicking around in the wintry night?

The Naked Man Festival (aka Hadaka Matsuri) takes place in Saidaiji, Japan.

Men from all over the world flock to this small town to consume copious amounts of sake and run around in the middle of winter in their underwear.

They form small groups and run around the neighborhood chanting “Washoi! Washoi! Washoi!”

The climax of the event takes place at exactly midnight, when two small wooden sticks (shingi) are dropped in the local temple.

The man who catches one will have a year of good luck.

These sticks are so highly prized, that the men clamber over each other to grab them, resulting in the strange tangle of bodies you can see here.

Japanese Jeans… Bringing Sexy Back

2009-06-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

Japan has come out with yet another sexy, wild, and edgy fashion trend with these Bikini Jeans, that act as both underwear and jeans.

Sandra Tanimura, a Sanna designer, created these jeans after customers mentioned they had a hard time keeping their low cut jeans up.

“We specialize in making low-rise trousers and our customers wanted them to get even lower. It was very difficult meeting these demands without the trousers falling down. I came up with the idea of using the bikini strings to let the trousers hang really low without falling,” she added.

Below are some shots of the jeans on a popular Japanese television show:

You can purchase these Bikini Jeans from Sanna’s Shop for about $88.

Like all trends, not everyone can pull it off quite the same.

74 Year-Old Japanese Porn Star Still Going

2009-06-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

I think all men have a glimmer of hope that when we are in our 70’s and starting to need a little assistance around the house, that we might get a nice hot nurse to come and take care of us.

Some fantasy’s might even include a little happy time when being helped into bed or getting your sponge bath, but these are just fantasy’s and cant possibly come true… right?

Well for 74 year-old Shigeo Tokuda, this is a reality that happens more often than you would think.

Thats because Shigeo is actually a 74 year-old porn star who sometimes performs in roles where he is an elderly man in a home, when a hot nurse who is there to help him out gives him a little more help than normal.

“Lately I’m also starring as the main actor in a porn series set in a senior-care home. The girl that I’m costarring with might play my son’s wife, a daughter of a relative that I happen to be looking after, or a helper at one of the care homes.”

It all started over 20 years ago, when Shigeo wanted to buy a porn video and was embarassed to purchase it at an adult store. He went to the production company itself and over time became friends with the director.

Shigeo has since performed in over 250 adult films during his over 14 years in the porn film industry.

Although you would think it is the sex that keeps Shigeo coming back for film after film, it is actually the role playing and acting that turns him on the most.

“I mentioned before that I like films that are set up like TV dramas. This is partly because I’ve always had the desire to turn into all sorts of different people. So personally, I don’t get off just having sex with somebody. I continue working in this industry not because I like starring in adult films, but because I am given the opportunity to act in various roles. The appeal for me is in the fact that I can play different people, not that I can boast about my acting skills. Consequently, most of the films that I’m in have a proper plot and narrative.”

Shigeo has plans to continue moaking more adult films until he feels his health and age become an issue.

“Right now I don’t have any illnesses, so I guess I’ll keep watching my health and at least try to go on until I’m 80 [laughs].”

World Record in Japan: Largest Orgy

2009-06-03T04:49:00.000-07:00

Japan has successfully set a new world record. Having 250 men and 250 women who commenced to have sex in the same place at the same time, completing the world biggest orgy ever!

The Orgy was held in a warehouse with a professional camera crew taking pictures and recording the entire event, which was pretty hot and sticky.

Imagine what it must be like to come stumbling across a room filled with 500 people having oral sex and screwing their brains out. Not to bad a way to end your day huh?

orgy girls standing naked World Record in Japan: Largest Orgy picture

It all seemed a little too organized for our personally liking but leave it to the Japanese to accomplish a goal. Especially if it had anything to do with naked women and sex.

The entire event was actually filmed and available for purchase on DVD for around $40. Here is a picture of the cover:

Double Trouble? India's Mysterious Twin Village

2009-06-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

Two hours from the nearest airport, at the end of a stomach-churning curving road, is a paradise of palm trees, purple houses and what is believed to be the world's highest concentration of twins.
In this tiny village of about 2,000 families, more than 300 have sets of twins. And in the case of many families, multiple sets of twins. There are about 45 twins per 1,000 births here, which is nearly six times the national average.

Mohammed Ali Pottayi's family has seven boys ranging in age from 18 to 4, including two sets of twins aged 12 and 4.

Pottayi and his wife, Suhara, feel fortunate for their unique family.

"Very happy," said the husband. "Two things you're getting in one."

His wife feels the same.

"I was very happy," she said.

Neither one was surprised by the multiple twin births, which is easy to understand considering that as we're speaking in their driveway filled with grass-eating goats, neighboring 12-year-old boy and girl twins stop by.
The town's unofficial motto goes something like this: If you don't have kids, if you are having fertility trouble, come to our town and stay a while because you will leave with many kids.

Down another twisting road, dotted with men wearing traditional skirts called dhotis, are the newest additions to the village: twin girls Afna and Afra Kozapavetit, who are 65 days old.

Like the Pottayis, the Kozapavetit family of eight is very enthusiastic.

"I'm happy that I have twins," said mother Asiya, who admits that twins are more tiring than singletons. Asiya gave birth to twin girls Lubana and Lubaba seven years ago.

"I didn't feel anything surprising," said father Yusuf, an auto rickshaw driver. "In Kodinhi, this is not a rare phenomenon so it's expected."

The town's oldest living twins are 65-year-old sisters Fatima Kutty and Kuhni Pathutty. They say they don't remember any other twins when they were growing up. They also added that they are very happy to be twins.

Dr. Krishnan Sribiju has been studying the village of twins for two years. The dermatologist works in a nearby hospital and is currently studying for his master's degree in public health. In his free time, he is trying to unravel the medical mystery.

Indian Man Has 5 Kidneys

2009-06-03T03:36:00.000-07:00

Many people in need of a transplant struggle to receive just one organ.

But a photographer from Khaira Dona village, in the northwest state of Punjab, India, is now living with five kidneys.

kidney cut Indian Man Has 5 Kidneys picture

Since 2004, Jaswant has undergone three transplant surgeries to replace his failed kidneys. With each procedure, the 33 year-old gained a new kidney from a family member, while the non-functioning organs remained in his body.

During kidney transplants, the failed organ is often left in the body to reduce the risk of death and complications that can result from removing it. Yet only an exceptional handful of such transplant recipients can claim to have had the procedure multiple times, like Jaswant.

Determined to “make it this time,” Jaswant received his latest kidney from his 55 year-old mother more than a month ago.

Jaswant had his first transplant surgery at age 25. The organ, which was donated by his older sister, functioned for more than a year. “However, my body rejected the kidney once I stopped post-operation medication because of financial constraints,” he said.

Two years later, Jaswant received another kidney, this time from his younger sister. After 14 months, he was placed back on dialysis, after his body rejected the organ of yet another family member.

While discussing his latest transplant, Jaswant cited his family’s “determination to see me live,” adding, “this time my mother, 55, gave me her bean shaped organ.”

Jaswant’s family makes a modest living—his brother is a driver and his father sells milk. Doctors from India’s National Kidney Hospital were so impressed by the young photographer’s story and the determination of his family, that they performed Jaswant’s most recent transplant surgery for free.

Rajesh Agrawal, the transplant surgeon who conducted the procedure along with doctor’s Suresh Aggarawal and Sanjay Mittal; said Jaswant is not the first person in this part of India to undergo multiple kidney transplants.

“The case is second in the region, where a third kidney transplant surgery has been done successfully. The earlier three transplants in the country were conducted at Hyderabad, Lucknow and Delhi,” doctor Agrawal said.

The World's most amazing Basketball Shot

2009-05-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Amazing Feat by Pi Day Celebrant

2009-05-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you combine Pi, a hula hoop, and a Rubik’s Cube? Awesome, that’s what.

David Belle

2009-05-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Father of parkour (the French discipline of overcoming any physical obstacle in your path), David Belle makes old Spidey above look like a slowpoke. This mini highlight reel video showcases his brand of free running that’s made him such a hot commodity as a Hollywood stuntman.

World Freehand Circle Drawing Champion

2009-05-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

We bet Alexander Overwijk’s pupils try to get him to perform his circle-drawing skills every lesson to avoid work, but we only need this one recording to enjoy it again and again on YouTube.

Amazing Human Beatbox

2009-05-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

28 million views later and it’s still hard to believe that “Scratch” is making all these sounds vocally. It’s safe to say that this vid is a masterclass in human beatboxing and scratching.

Kent “Toast” French, The World’s Fastest Clapper

2009-05-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

It’s best not to question why you’d want to be the world’s fastest clapper. Just hit play on the video and be amazed at what 14 claps per second looks like on film.

Rubik’s Cube Official World Record

2009-05-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

In 2008, Erik Akkersdijk broke a world record by solving the Rubik’s Cube puzzle in a tad over seven seconds. This clip captures the notable feat. Well, the first 20 or so seconds do — the rest is a bit of blur, which can perhaps be explained by the cameraman’s astonishment.

Junior Breakdance

2009-05-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

You may think you’ve seen some tidy breakdancing moves in the past, but until you’ve seen “Junior’s” attempts, you quite simply ain’t seen nothing yet.

Inspired Bicycles — Danny MacAskill

2009-05-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

Mr. MacAskill is a BMX god, and his stunt bike abilities need to be seen to be believed. We love how this video draws you in with some failed stunts at first, only to leave your jaw on the floor towards the end.