These are the famous “fantasy coffins” used by the Ga Tribe, on the coast of Ghana to both mourn and celebrate the death of a beloved family member or friend.

The tradition of burying people in strangely-shaped coffins began roughly 50 years ago when a fisherman was set to rest in a funeral casket shaped like a fish. Ever since then photographers have been buried in camera-shaped coffins, people who like to drink in caskets shaped like beer bottles and avid smokers, you guessed it, in cigarette-like wooden coffins.

Families of the deceased spend enormous amounts of cash on these intricate caskets, sometimes even as much as $600. Sure, that may not seem like a lot to you, but in a country where the average income is somewhere around $50/month that’s a lot of money. The wealthier relatives usually put up  the most part of the sum with the rest of the families providing the rest.

The coffins of the Ga tribe symbolize the essence of the deceased, his profession, a vice or his place in the community.

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Students from a Colombian cooking school presented their unusual “love dessert” at the Gastronomy 2009 culinary show, in Bogota.

The special pudding contains dissolved Viagra, passion-fruit and is garnished with whipped-cream and chocolate. The students, aged between 17 and 23, found a way to safely dissolve the magic blue pill in their dessert and create a new, sweet aphrodisiac. They say their recipe contains detailed instructions on how to dissolve the pill.

Because Viagra is a prescription drug, the Love Dessert can’t yet be sold, but once Colombia’s food and drug institute concludes its analysis of the dessert, you may find it in cafes and restaurants near you. Enjoy and make sure to wear baggy trousers.

Photos by William Fernando Martinez / AP

via IBN Live

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Teeth and Silver go together like horse and carriage. At least according silversmith Polly van der Glas, who created a strange collection of teeth encrusted silver jewelry.

Polly van der Glas, who won the Craft Victoria Fillipo Raphael Fresh! Award, in 2006, handcrafts a unique type of silver jewels, using collected human teeth and hair. The teeth are collected from all around Melbourne and sterilised, while the hair is sometimes imported from China and India.

Apparently the teeth are pretty hard to come by in Australia, so maybe miss van der Glas should get in touch with an Indian street dentist. I’m sure they could work out some sort of agreement.

via Ecouterre

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In the name of entertainment and adrenalin, Spain’s bull leapers, known as “recortadores”, continue an ancient tradition that can be traced back to 1500 BC, during King Minos’ reign.

Teams of 5 to 7 bull leapers gather each year in cities like Valencia or Barcelona, to take part in a performance that many compare to the Russian roulette. Each team may face up to three bulls in the ring, at once, taunting and jumping over them just when the beats prepare to impale them.

The bull leapers all look calm and brave, but they don’t hesitate to run for their lives after a successful jump or evasion, to stay well clear of the angry bulls. The atmosphere in the bullfighting arena is said to be exhilarating, with the crown cheering every successful trick.

Sure some may call these death-defying artists insane, but I have a lot more respect for them than I do for bullfighters. At least bull leaping doesn’t get the bull killed in a violent way. sadly it can’t quench the Spanish thirst for bull-fighting blood.

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Their shape may not be as complex as the Buddha-shaped pears, but these heart-shaped oranges spotted in a market, in the capital of South Korea are just as impressive. I’d like to get my hands on one of those for Valentine’s Day, but I doubt they’d ship those babies half way around the world. Oh well, I guess a heart-shaped box of chocolates will have to do.

via People.com.cn

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The technological masterpiece on display inside the ASUS headquarters in Peitou, Taiwan, is a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci’s work and represents the company’s pledge to support “any kind of crazy ideas”

The Techno Mona Lisa may not look as detailed as the classic painting, but there’s a good reason for that. As you probably know, ASUS is the world’s biggest motherboard manufacturer in the world and they decided to celebrate that by recreating a famous work of art using motherboard components and computer chips. I’m not sure exactly sure how many motherboards were used in the process, but it’s definitely a fine piece of geek art.

via Wired

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This man’s body may be broken, but his spirit is stronger than most people’s. While other healthy individual spend their days begging, this noble soul works on fixing broken tires…with only his feet. Sure, life can sometimes be very cruel, but this guy refuses to just lay down and die, just because he can’t use his hands. You have to admit this is really impressive and inspiring stuff.

Photos via Tiexue

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Designed by twin brothers Remigijus and Egidijus Praspaliauskas, the Bread Shoes may not be very practical but they are perfect as wacky gifts.

Every pair is unique and they come in a variety of designs, sizes and bread doughs. Bread Shoes are available for purchase at Da Da Da Studio. Each pair costs 22 euros plus a 5 euro shipping tax. Come on folks, get’em while they’re hot!

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Elaine Davidson is a Brazilian-born nurse, living in Edinburgh, Scotland, who has made a name for herself by decorating her body with over 6,000 piercings.

In 1997, Elaine had 280 piercings, quite a few for any other body-modder, but just the beginning for her. In 2000 she was acknowledged as the world’s most pierced woman, by the Guinness Book of Records, with 462 piercings, of which 192 on her face. But she kept adding to her collection, and in May 2008 she had 5,920 piercings. As of February 2009 Elaine is the proud bearer of 6,005 pieces of metal.

Most of Elaine Davidson’s piercings are in her genitalia, over 500, located both on the outside and on the inside. The total weight of her “jewelry” adds up to three kilograms. Doctors claim this type of extreme modding involves serious risks, such as infection and transmission of diseases like hepatitis or AIDS.

Despite her bizarre appearance, Elaine wants the public to know she doesn’t do drugs, drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. Her only vice is Coca-Cola.

No, this post is not about a bat boy, but it is about one of the ugliest, weirdest cats you’ve ever seen.

Ugly Bat Boy is an 8-year-old that lives at the Exeter Veterinary Hospital, in New Hampshire. He was born bald, except for an area on his chest, but, despite his unnatractive looks, Ugly Bat Boy still managed to become a local celebrity. Members of the hospital staff were forced to post stickers saying there is nothing wrong with the cat, he is just ugly.

Ugly Bat Boy may look different, but he acts just like any other feline, sleeping on a computer to keep warm and loving attention and petting. Although he’s not pretty to look at, his keepers say his beauty lies on the inside.

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My dog sleeps in the weirdest, funniest positions imaginable, but he’s nowhere near as flexible as these yoga-practicing puppies from  the Yoga Dogs Calendar.

As you may have guessed, these photos are fake, there are few people who can execute these yoga moves and I’m pretty sure no dogs can do them. They’ve been “photoshoped” by Dan Borris, a skilled Photoshop expert from Texas, who was inspired by his wife’s, Alexandra, former yoga teaching career.

This funny dog calendar is bound to be a hit amongst dog lovers.

via YOGA DOGS/BARCROFT MEDIA

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Most seasoned gardners say all you need to do in order to keep your plants happy is plant and water them and apparently it really works.

Robert Bendel, a 73-year-old from Morristown bought a rose bush 15 years ago and planted it in right next to his house. That’s practically all he did, no fertilizer and no extra attention. Now bendel believes his giant plant could just be the world’s tallest rose bush, standing at 18 feet and 6 inches. The world’s current record for the tallest rose bush stands at a mere 13 feet 3 inches, so as soon as Guinness makes the official measurements, Robert will be the proud owner of a record holding plant.

Bendel says he also has a tomato plant that’s 7 feet tall and 14 feet across so he may have two plants in the Guinness Book of Records.

Photos by Bob Karp

via Daily Record

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Charles Guan, a young student at MIT, has built a Shopping Go-Kart that reaches a top speed of 30 miles per hour.

LOLriokart, the name Guan chose for his invention, was built using an ordinary shopping cart, discarded wheels and the engine from a high-performance golf-cart. Although he could have opted for a stronger engine that would have pushed the LOLriokart to a speed of 45 mph, he decided to go with a smaller one that allows him to switch between a walking pace speed and 30 mph.

The wacky kart features a custom steering system and because all components are positioned on the wheel line, it has a low center of gravity even when he’s inside. In case something goes wrong and the brake system fails, LOLriokart also has an emergency red button that cuts all power to the engine.

it may not met all safety regulations, but for one year’s work and a budget of just $300, LOLriokart is quite something. Well done sir!

Watch the road test at the bottom.

via Popsci

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It may not look like much, but Citicar was once one of the most popular vehicles in the United States and still manages to turn heads with its bizarre look.

Produced between 1974 and 1977, by Sebrin Vanguard Inc., Citicar is the most produced electric car in the history of American car manufacturing. Powered only by batteries, the golf-cart sized Citicar reached a top speed of 63km/h and was a big hit especially during the fuel crisis of the ’70s.

In 1976, Sebring Vanguard sold enough electric cars to secure the number 6 spot in the top American car manufacturers. Although the company went bankrupt in 1977, the Citicar design was acquired by Comuter Vehicles and produce in many variants.

It may be fuel efficient, but it sure is ugly

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