Family Scams Restaurants by Placing Cockroaches on Their Own Plates

A Mexican family has been outed as scammers after being caught on video placing cockroaches on their plates at a restaurant just so they can then complain and leave without paying the bill.

The Puerto Chale restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico, recently took to social media to shame a family of scammers who had threatened to make a scene because of a cockroach they had allegedly found in the dishes they ordered unless the restaurant agreed to not charge them for their meal. Although confused by the incident, as the restaurant reportedly has a very strict hygiene policy, management decided to give in to the patrons’ demands just to avoid an unnecessary scandal. However, as soon as the family left, they checked the surveillance cameras and found proof that the whole thing had been premeditated.

Read More »

Crocodiles Infest Indian City Following River Flood

The city of Vadodara, in the Indian state of Gujarat, is crawling with giant crocodiles following the overflowing of a local river caused by record rainfall.

As if having to deal with the water flooding their homes and streets wasn’t enough, the people of Vadodara have to be on the lookout for giant crocodiles waiting to snatch their animals or even attack them. Videos of giant reptiles walking through the streets, chilling on house roofs, or swimming in canals with dead animals between their jaws have been doing the rounds on Indian social media ever since the Vishwamitri River overflowed last week. The river is home to hundreds of freshwater crocodiles, at least two dozen of which were caught in Vadodara between August 27 and 29.

Read More »

52-Year-Old Cafe Owner Goes Viral for Her Age-Defying Looks and Fashion Style

Lee Hyo Jong, the 52-year-old owner of a bakery and cafe in Seoul, South Korea, recently went viral for her incredibly youthful appearance and nonconformist dress style.

The London Bagel Museum cafe in Gangnam, Seoul, was already famous for its delicious pastries and welcoming atmosphere, but it recently got even more attention because of its owner, a 52-year-old woman who doesn’t look a day over 25. Lee Hyo Jong’s age became a hot topic on the South Korean online bulletin board The Qoo after someone posted photos of her along with the information that she was born in 1973, making her 52 years old. People just couldn’t wrap their heads around how she manages to maintain such a youthful appearance, but some pointed out that her dress style and slim physique help with that as well.

Read More »

India’s Rural ‘Thief Schools’ Are Training the Criminals of Tomorrow

Three remote villages in India’s Madhya Pradesh state have become famous for their ‘thief schools’ where children as young as 12 are trained in pickpocketing, theft, and robbery by seasoned criminals.

The three nondescript villages – Kadia, Gulkhedi, and Hulkhedi – located about 120 km from the state capital of Bhopal are reportedly nurseries for young criminals, with parents actually paying ‘tuition fees’ of  200,000 to 300,000 rupees ($2,400 to $3,600) to have their offspring trained in “dark arts” like pickpocketing and bag grabbing in crowded places, carrying out robberies, bank account thefts, evading the police, and even withstanding beatings in the event of being apprehended. These so-called ‘thief schools’ have produced some of the most infamous criminals in India’s history, so they are sought after by impoverished and less-educated families unable to give their children a proper education.

Read More »

Woman Wins Legal Battle with Carolina Herrera Over Use of Her Own Surname as a Brand

María Carolina Herrera, an elderly soap maker from Peru, won a legal battle against iconic fashion designer Carolina Herrera over the right to use her surname as a brand.

María Carolina Herrera lives in Ate-Vitarte, a residential area in Lima, Peru, where she operates her small artisanal soap business. She has always lived a discreet, quiet life, but in 2021 she became known all across Peru and even in other South American countries after becoming engaged in a legal battle with the corporation owned by Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera. It all started when María Carolina’s son, Dario Morales, surprised her by submitting her soap brand, ‘La Jabonera by María Herrera,’ to the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI). The request was immediately contested by Carolina Herrera Ltd., whose lawyers argued that another Herrera brand in Peru’s cosmetic industry would cause confusion among consumers.

Read More »

Japan’s ‘Most Frugal Woman’ Buys 3 Houses by Spending Only $1.4 Per Day on Food

Saki Tamogami, a 37-year-old real-estate agent, is known as Japan’s most frugal woman for her commitment to spending as little money as possible on things like food, clothes, and self-care.

“Never buy anything that isn’t on sale!” This has been Saki Tamogami’s motto for the last 15 years, and she claims it has helped her save enough money to buy three houses, a goal she set for herself when she was only 19 years old. The first thing she did was stop buying new clothes, instead accepting handouts from family and friends and taking better care of the clothes she already had. She then started cutting down on food expenses, relying mainly on cheap dishes like udon noodles, toast, and discounted radishes for sustenance. After 8 years of frugal living, Tamogami was able to buy her first home, and by 2019, she had already achieved her goal of owning three homes.

Read More »

Attractive “Humanoid Robots” Go Viral at Chinese Robot Conference

A short clip featuring two very hot “humanoid robots” being showcased at this year’s Beijing World Robot Conference has sparked a heated online debate about whether they are actual robots.

This year’s Beijing World Robot Conference features hundreds of international exhibitors and over a thousand special guests, but the event recently went viral for something that has less to do with technology and more with makeup and cosplay. Ex-Robot, a Chinese company that specializes in bionic humanoid robots, unveiled its latest creations in front of hundreds of journalists and visitors, and while they were definitely impressive-looking, two of them really stood out because of their doll-like appearance. Many X users were impressed by how attractive the two robots looked, while others wondered if they were actual robots or just real women cosplaying as androids.

Read More »

Shiziguan Floating Road Bridge – A Terrifying Wonder of Engineering

The Shiziguan Floating Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Dreams, is an innovative 400-meter bridge that allows cars up to 2.8 tonnes to drive across the surface of the Qingjiang River in China.

Nestled between the forest-covered mountains of Enshi Prefecture, in Hubei Province, the Shiziguan scenic spot is one of China’s most breathtaking natural attractions. However, what really separates it from other impressive sights is the experience of taking in the beautiful scenery while driving along a bridge made of floats and placed directly on the water. Built using German technology to prevent rollovers, the Shiziguan Floating Bridge has been operational since 2016 for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The bridge is made from high-density polyethylene floats filled with water for extra stability, so if the drivers respect the imposed speed limit of 20 km/h, they should only feel the gentle sway of the river beneath.

Read More »

Dancing Shrimp – Thailand’s Liveliest Dish Literally Jumps Off the Plate

Goon Ten, or Dancing Shrimp, is a popular Thai street food made with live freshwater shrimp that jumps off the plate when marinated alive.

A bunch of small, translucent shrimp trying to wiggle their way out of being eaten alive doesn’t sound like the most appetizing meal, but in Northern Thailand, it’s actually all the rage. Usually sold from double-basket carts, goon ten consists of live freshwater shrimp wriggling in a spicy marinade of ground chili, lime juice, fish sauce, mint, sliced shallots, and lemongrass. It is most often served with a variety of sticky rice. Often described as one of the freshest foods money can buy, dancing shrimp salad will literally jump off the plate, as the live critters try to escape the spicy marinade. It sounds barbaric to eat such a dish in this day and age, but most of those who have tried it were blown away by its texture and complex flavor combination.

Read More »

Welsh Man Lucky to Be Alive After Getting Stung 240 Times by Wasps

A 57-year-old man had to be hospitalized and put on morphine so he could endure the pain of 240 wasp stings after being attacked by a swarm of enraged wasps.

On August 18, Andrew Powell went outside his family home near Brecon, Wales, to inspect the fields, as he usually did, only to see a large swarm of wasps heading his way. He suspects that someone, maybe another farmer, messed with their nest because they came straight for him and started stinging him. Unable to defend himself against what he suspects were thousands of angry wasps, Powell ran toward his house while fighting off the insects as best he could. The insects followed him into the house, attacked his wife as well, and managed to land over 240 stings on the 57-year-old man, leaving him in agony and in need of medical attention.

Read More »

Teen Boy Goes on Hunger Strike Until Mother Buys Him an iPhone

An Indian teenager was accused of emotional blackmail after going on a hunger strike for three days to pressure his poor mother into buying him an iPhone.

A short video shot by a smartphone shop owner in India went viral last week for featuring a teenage boy who confessed to going on a hunger strike for three days to convince his mother to buy him a new iPhone. The woman, who reportedly makes a living by selling flowers outside a temple, is also featured in the video and has a facial expression that pretty much says everything about her inner struggle. Shared by Indian journalist Abhishek on X (formerly Twitter), the video has been viewed over a million times and has sparked a heated debate about gadgets as a status symbol and the entitlement of younger generations.

Read More »

Woman’s Eyeball Sewn to the Corner of Her Eye in Botched Cosmetic Surgery

A Chinese woman suffered vision problems and subsequent depression following a botched double eyelid surgery in which her eyeball was accidentally sewn to the corner of her eye.

In 2021, Ms. Zhang, a woman from Weifang, in China’s Shandong Province, underwent a double eyelid surgery at the Weifang Kuiwen Lirendu Medical Beauty Clinic to correct an unevenness of the corners of her eyes. The woman claims that she felt discomfort during the actual surgery but pushed through it only to discover that her left eyeball and the corner of that eye had been stitched together. At first, the doctor who operated on her told her that everything was fine, but then Zhang started experiencing blurry vision and limited eye movement, and despite attempts to correct the damage, she is still struggling with physical and mental issues more than two years after the procedure.

Read More »

The World’s Oldest Continually Operating Company Has Been Around for Almost 1,500 Years

Founded in the year 578, Japan’s Kongo Gumi construction company is recognized as the oldest continuously operating company in the world.

Thousands of companies are founded and liquidated daily around the globe, many of which only operate for a few years, maybe even months. The world’s most valuable companies have only been around for a few decades and with technology changing the business landscape at breakneck speeds, who knows how long they’ll be around. Today, there are only a few thousand companies older than 200 years, and even those seem relatively new compared to the world’s oldest continually operating company, Kongo Gumi. Founded in the 6th century by a Korean carpenter specializing in Buddhist temple construction, the Japanese construction company has been operating for a whopping 1446 years.

Read More »

German Woman Poses as Empress of Made-up Kingdom to Mingle with Italian Socialites

A 49-year-old German woman who had been posing as the empress of a non-existent kingdom and rubbing shoulders with Italy’s elite had been accidentally unmasked as a fraud.

Sandra Nicole Martinez, who had adorned herself with titles like ‘Her Royal Highness’ or ‘Her Imperial Highness”, had become a regular at exclusive parties and social events in Italy’s capital city after being introduced to them by legendary Italian socialite Guya Sospisio a few years ago. Apparently, no one questioned her claims of being the Empress of the Imperial House of Glodeni, a royal house with headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, even though a simple Google search would have revealed that Glodeni is actually a town in the tiny Eastern European country of Moldova. Martinez was eventually unmasked as a fraudster completely by accident.

Read More »

Sweden’s Banana-Topped Pizza Puts Hawaiian Pizza to Shame

If you thought pineapple-topped Hawaiian pizza was a culinary crime, wait until you hear about Sweden’s take on the Italian staple, a pie topped with curry, pineapple, and banana.

Sweden’s fascination with bananas is well documented, but that doesn’t really explain the culinary oddity known as Tropicana Pizza or simply Swedish Pizza. No one knows exactly who came up with the idea for this unusual pizza, but according to a 2017 tweet by the Curators of Sweden, an X (Twitter) account created by the Swedish Institute and VisitSweden, Tropicana pizza was already known as the “most Swedish pizza there is”. For some reason, many Swedes find the combination of curry, pineapple, and banana paired with the smoky, savory flavor of smoked ham irresistible, making banana-topped pizza one of the most popular pizzas in Sweden.

Read More »