Ma Xiuxian never had the opportunity to attend school, as a child, but she is making up for that in her later years.

The 102-year old Chinese woman, from Jinan, Shandong province, began working at a cotton mill, at the age of 13, and married when she was only 18. She gave birth to nine children, seven of which attended universities. Her children remember Ma Xiuxian and her husband made great sacrifices, in order to support their studies, but never got the chance to fulfill her own dream, of going to school, for the first time.

After being interviewed by a local newspaper, and revealing her dream, on March 31, Ma Xiuxian was invited to the Weishan Road Elementary School, to attend her first class. Equipped with a schoolbag and a large magnifying glass (for reading), Ma entered the class in the applause of her primary school classmates. The 102-year-old student commented she was very proud to be able to go to school, and that she will study hard to bring her contribution to the motherland.

Photos by QUIRKY CHINA NEWS/REX FEATURES

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Italian artist, Andrea Petrachi uses things most other people throw away, to create amazing robotic sculptures.

Milan-based Andrea Petrachi was born in 1975, in the Italian city of Lecce, and quickly began taking things apart. Nobody suspected such a seemingly destructive activity would eventually stand at the base of his artistic genius. He takes old stuff like broken electronics, used toys and recycled materials, breaks them into pieces, and reassembles them as cool robotic sculptures.

Known also as “Himatic” Andrea Petrachi currently works as a video editor for RAI television. Feel free to check out his entire portfolio of unique robotic figurines, on his official site.

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A group of students from an Indian university celebrated their silver jubilee year, by setting a new world record for the longest letter.

The Brahmakumaris youth wing of Gujarat University found an original way to celebrate their silver jubilee year, the university’s diamond jubilee year and 600 years since the establishment of Ahmedabad city. They decided to organize an event where people could write their own letter to God.

In just 3 hours time, 2,800 people wrote down their feelings of gratitude for their happy lives and also asked the removal of poverty and protection from terrorism, corruption and other evils. The letter ended up being 2,841 feet long.

Participants were grateful for such an occasion to thank God for everything He helped them achieve in life, and organizers say this kind of event is perfect for people who want to learn how to write letters to God.

The previous record for the World’s Longest Letter was established by 2,000 of my Romanian countrymen who wrote a 1,358 feet-long letter for Santa Claus.

via WorldAmazingRecords

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Born without arms, Liu Jianming has learned to sew using her feet, ever since she was a teenager. and still creates beautifully embroidered works of art.

The old seamstress could never afford to rent or buy a shop, to work in, so she spends her days working on a street corner, in the Chinese city of Kunming, Yunnan province. What other seamstresses struggle to do with their hands, she accomplishes with only her feet, and while there are those who doubt her abilities, they become believers, once they see her at work.

But as she’s getting older, her job becomes more and more difficult. Her feet are just as nimble as they’ve always been, but her eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Still, Liu Jianming continues to sew, as it’s her only way of supporting herself.

Photos by europics via austriantimes

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It’s official, China is trying to get this cooking thing completely automated. A week after a retired engineer presented his DIY robot cook, another springs up .

The students of Yangzhou University, in Yangzhou, China partnered up with an enterprise from Shenzen, to create a fully automated robotic cook. Their result is nothing short of impressive, considering the machine can cook over 600 dishes from Chinese cuisine. All anyone has to do is put in the necessary ingredints, program the robot and weight for the dish to be served.

Bad news for Liu Changfa, the retired engineer who presented his own patented robot cook. Iguess hi dream of selling one to every restaurant in China, won’t be coming true, after all.

Photos by Zhao Jun/Xinhua

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Known as an ancient tradition, in central-European countries like Poland and the Czech Republic, Wet Monday appears to be very popular in Ukraine, as well. It takes place on the second day of Easter

Wet Monday started out, in Poland,as a pagan custom that symbolize cleansing, with the coming of Spring. When Christianity became the main religion, Wet Monday was adopted as a Christian ritual, related to cleansing souls of sins. The truth is people loved this tradition so much, they found a way to keep it, by associating it with religion.

On Wet Monday. boys and men armed with bottles and buckets of water, chase after girls and splash them from head to toe. According to the original custom, the most beautiful girl in a village would be the wettest, but nowadays, boys just splash any girl they see. At one point, the tradition got so out of hand that boys threw buckets of water, at girls, threw their car windows.

With the current water shortage the world is facing right now, some would say this is a terrible waste, but the boys with water bottles wouldn’t dream of abandoning this ancient tradition. just look at those happy faces.

The photos below were taken on Wet Monday, in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. They are copyright of  Yurko Dyachyshyn.

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It took 65 kg of chocolate but the Rolling Stones never looked this tasty. Even that big-mouthed Mick Jagger looks good enough to eat.

It all started with a dream. Alberto Dorna Pujol, the owner of a Catalan pastry shop always dreamed his idols, The Rolling Stones, would once play in his shop window. Since the chance of the real Stones coming to the town of Berga, to play in a pastry shop, were pretty slim, he decided to fulfill his dream, by taking advantage of an old Catalan Easter tradition.

Catalans usually make chocolate figures on Easter, and since Alberto is a master chocolatier, he decided to make the figures of  the legendary Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, out of chocolate. The result is impressive, and attracted a lot of attention to his Dolceria Pujol pastry shop. Well done!

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Young French artist, Stephanie Kilgast, creates the most delicious-looking miniatures that you could never shove down your throat, since their made of plastic. But if you like staring at your food, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Great things can come out of being bored, and Stephanie Kilgast is the perfect example. She discovered her passion for miniatures, in 2007, when she was looking for a new hobby, to keep her occupied. She realized creating miniatures took her back to when she was just a little girl, making tiny foods, out of clay, for her Barbie dolls.

Her new passion just grew and grew, until she realized she wanted to dedicate her entire life to making food miniatures. She struggled to get her architecture degree and now she’s a full time artizan. The best thing about her tiny creations is that they can be worn as jewelry. Ever dreamed of having two ice-cream cones as earrings? Well, now you can, courtesy of Miss Stephanie Kilgast.

She sells her tasty-looking miniatures on sites like Etsy and Dawanda, and you can check out all her creations on PetitPlat.fr.

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Some people have a thing about covering their cars with the strangest stuff, but a 1969 Ford Mustang? There are those who would consider this to be blasphemy.

From the Pen Guy’s pen-covered Mercedes and General Carbunkle to the Camera Van and the plush-toys-covered Corolla, we’ve seen quite a number of vehicles covered in the most bizarre memorabilia, and this Mustang artcar makes a nice addition to our automotive collection.

Spotted on the streets of Alameda, California, this 1969 Mustang is covered in skulls, skeletons, clowns and creepy Jack-in-the-Box dolls. As you can imagine, people were circling this 4-wheeled mutant, trying not to miss any details. It’s nice, if you’re into strange-looking pimped-out rides, but Mustang fans could have a meltdown.

Jalopnik via AutoRoyalty

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The Rotel, a combination between a bus and a hotel, has been conducting worldwide tours for the last 50 years.

Yes, the Rotel is kind of like an RV, only it will take you to the end of the world, if the price is right. Rotel Tours was founded by a German entrepreneur (ironically named George Hotel), in 1959, and has since then conducted tours all around the world. From the mountains of Tibet to the scorching Sahara Desert, or the famous Taj Mahal, there’s literally no place the Rotel can’t take German tourists.

Featuring three-foot-wide and three-foot-high bunks, accessible through a zippered curtain, Rotel isn’t exactly the most comfortable hotel in the world, but it’s the only one that will take you around the world. The only serious problem is, while the Rotel features a bathroom, there are no showers. But the tour operator says its mobile hotels do make occasional stops, specifically for bathing purposes.

Source : Rotel.de via Jalopnik

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It might look like someone painted these by hand, but the only artist responsible for these living works of art, is Mother Nature.

The incredible looking Rainbow Eucalyptus is the only species of eucalyptus that grows in the northern hemisphere. It can grow to impressive heights, of up to 70 meters, and it is normally grown for its pulpwood, used to create white paper. There are many other interesting facts regarding Rainbow Eucalyptus, but the obvious question arises: why does it look like it’s been painted?

The secret behind the Rainbow Eucalyptus is actually pretty simple. The trees shed multiple patches of bark every year, but not at the same time. As the patches are gone, the green inner bark is exposed, and, as it matures, every new patch first turns bluish, then orange, purple and maroon. This creates the rainbow effect that makes these trees so nice to look at.

Rainbow Eucalyptus can be found in New Guinea, New Britain and the Philippines.

via Kuriositas

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Praised, from times immemorial, as a healing lake, Osoyoos has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Canada, because of its spotted look.

Located in the Oskogan Valley, British Columbia, Osoyoos is one of the most mineral-rich bodies of water on Earth, featuring mostly sulfates of magnesium, calcium and sodium. During the summer, as the lake’s water evaporates, it leaves behind the minerals, which take the shape of pools. Each natural pool has a different color, depending on the type and concentration of the minerals, making Osoyoos a unique sight to behold.

Ever since ancient times, the Indians of the Oskogan Valley have considered the Spotted Lake a holy place that cured their every illness. Whether they were suffering from sprains, infections, skin diseases or body aches, they would get better by immersing their bodies in the lakes waters. Even during times of war, tribes would ask for truce, so warriors could come to Osoyoos Lake and heal their wounds.

During World War I, minerals from the Spotted Lake were used to make ammunition, in the factories built in the area. For generations, Osoyoos was the property of the Earnest Smith family, who wanted t build a healing spa, on the lake. But constant pressure from the Indian natives kept this from ever happening, and eventually convinced the Smiths to sell the lake back to the Indians.

An impressive sight, the Spotted Lake is of limits to tourists, for fear they might damage the pools. But you can still enjoy a great view of it, from behind the iron fence that surrounds Osoyoos.

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A Japanese restaurant in Thailand isn’t something to get overly excited about, but if that restaurant has robot samurais as waiters, it’s a whole other matter.

Lapassarad Thanaphant, a Thai entrepreneur, decided to open a new Japanese restaurant, and found the perfect way to make it stand out from the competition: robot waiters. But not just any robots, samurai-shaped machines that slide all the way to your table, bring you your order, clean tables, and even do an adorable dance routine, to entertain guests.

So, just days after the robot kitchen chef was presented, we already have an almost complete automated restaurant system. According to the owner of Hajime Restaurant, the cool samurai robot waiters cost $930,000, but with the popularity this place is enjoying this days, he’s sure to get his money back very soon.

Be sure to check out the Hajime samurai robot waiters in action, in the video, at the bottom.

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True talent and artistic calling can’t be contained even by the most severe physical handicaps, and Doug Landis is the perfect example. Using only his mouth, Doug creates some really extraordinary artworks.

Doug Landis was paralyzed from the neck down, after an awful accident, during a high-school wrestling match. The before over-active kid, too busy to pick up a pen and draw, discovered his talent when he saw the drawing of a house, on a Christmas card, and thought he could do it himself. He redid the drawing a few times, until he developed his own style.

Using his neck to guide the pen across a sheet of paper, Doug has created a series of drawings that earned him a number of awards, at the shows and exhibits he attended. Each artwork takes the artist between 40 and 200 hours of work, depending on the size of the project. For his famous “Vanishing Breeds”, the artist imagined his work drawn by hand, then watched photos and videos of the animals, in order to see the fur and muscles, and only then began the actual drawing. Just like Peter Longstaff , the foot painter, he is a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association.

To learn more about Doug Landis’ amazing mouth art, and purchase some of his artworks, check out his official site, www.mouthart.com.

Photos are copyright of DOUG LANDIS

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35-year-old Kevin Easterday was born with a rare condition that prevented his spine from developing correctly. His legs were amputated, when he was only a baby, but that hasn’t stopped him from living life to the fullest.

A strange illness, known as sacral agenesis, made it necessary for doctors to amputate Kenny’s legs, when he was only six months old. Part of his shinbone was used to create the missing part of his spine, but Kenny lost the ability to walk. Believe it or not, Mr. Eastearday was able to live a rich happy life, regardless of his handicap.

During a documentary, Kenny’s father reveals he taught his son to walk using his hands, by telling him to imitate his mother, who “walks like a duck”. As a child, he was offered a pair of prosthetic legs, but he didn’t really find them very useful, so he always used his hands, or a skateboard, to get around.

Although he wasn’t expected to reach the age of 21, Kenny not only beat the odds, but enjoyed life, in the process. He learned to play pool, bowl, work, and even make love to his fiancee,Nicky. To top things off, the happy couple is waiting for confirmation that Desiree, their 7-year-old daughter, is actually Kenny’s daughter. Read More »