Opened in the early 1900s, this Victorian toilet has served visitors of Scarborough Beach, for decades, but it’s now become one of the most popular houses in the area.

Tracy Woodhouse and Graham Peck decided the public toilet would make a great house, as soon as they heard the lease for the building was available, five years ago. They found an architect who’s housing design maintained the original design and character of the building, so the authorities gladly approved the project.

They’ve spent around $53,000 reconditioning and refurbishing the old public toilet, and even worked on it themselves, in their spare time. After top-to-bottom rebuilding, their house is now the talk of the town. Their lounge is where the men’s bathroom used to be, and their bedroom stands where there once was the ladies room.

Friends often make fun of the couple, saying they live in a lavatory, but they don’t mind, and actually become amused themselves. But what matters most is they now have a cozy house of their own, with a spectacular view over the North Bay.

The two expected people to be amused, or even shocked, but one thing they didn’t expect was to receive offers for their toilet house. So far, they have three.

via Daily Mail

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What started out as a silly dorm sport has now become a national phenomenon, with over 400 registered Quidditch teams, all over the country.

Should the lack of real magical powers prevent us from playing the fun sport we discovered in the wonderful world of Harry Potter? “Hell no!” said the students of America, who put a broom between their legs and started chasing each other across the field, trying to score points.

Muggle Quidditch follows the main rules, described in J.K. Rowling’s book, apart from the flying part, of course. Teams are made up of seven players: three chasers, two beaters, a keeper and a seeker. Chasers try to throw the ball through one of the three hoops, while trying to avoid bludgers and dodgeballs, thrown by beaters. If they’re hit, they must drop the quaffle. Keepers guard the hoops, while seekers have to catch the snitch, a tennis ball wrapped in a sock and hanging by a person’s waist (usually a really fast dude dressed in gold). The catching of the snitch adds an extra 30 points, and ends the game.

Quidditch players should keep the broom between their legs, at all times, or they are penalized with yellow and red wands. It’s a bit harder than it sounds, but people find Muggle Quidditch an intense and enjoyable game. Even prestigious universities like Harvard and Standford have their own Quidditch teams.

via Daily Mail

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If you’ve ever dreamed of having the world’s most wanted terrorist at your feet, now’s your chance of making that dream a reality, with the Osama Bin Laden sneakers.

These wacky shoes, featuring a caricature of the famous Osama Bin Laden, and a line that ( I think) says ” I look at you killed”. That doesn’t make much sense to me either, but you have to understand the sneakers are made in China, the country that brought us famous brands like Juma, Badidas, Mike, and other such abominations.

Chinese merchandise is very popular in India, due to its low prices, but these Air Bin Ladens have become a phenomenon, among the country’s youth. 21-year-old Praveen Kumar says “It gives me a feeling that the most hated person in the world lies at my feet.”

Osama Bin Laden sneakers are priced at just 650 rupees ($14.67), but you probably won’t find them in markets, outside Asia. Read More »

That there must be a really interesting book, to attract the attention of a cat.

These purring fur ball has become an internet sensation, in China, after its owner took some pictures of her, reading a book. The cat seemed to be drawn to that pile of books, always trying to get a sneak peak, when her master was reading. Noticing her peculiar behavior, the man took a camera and immortalized the cat’s reading activity.

As you can see, the feline seems focused on reading every Chinese character, but that made her little brain very tired. After every reading session, the cat needed a good nap, to recover, and get back to her book.

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President Obama may not be as popular as he was when he became president of the United States, but his name is still viewed as a potential client driver.

A Chinese entrepreneur, from Shanghai, China is relying on Barack Obama’s popularity to make his soon-to-open nightclub a profitable venture. The Obama Nightclub is schedule to open on April 26 2010, and as you can see in the photos below, all of Shanghai is full of advertising banners. The website is, unfortunately, under construction.

Odd as it may be, this is really not a bad idea, considering how popular the American president is, in China, You may remember the wacky ways the Chinese people celebrated his visit, last year.

Photos via ImagineChina

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Russia’s blow-up weapons might seem funny, but they play a crucial role in the country’s strategy to keep their real arsenal hidden from prying eyes.

The inflatable decoys were commissioned by the Russian government, to protect their real military capabilities from surveillance satellites. The company making them, Rusbal, says they imitate the heat signature of real military vehicles and look so realistic that’s it’s easy to mistake them for the real thing, even from short distances.

These blow-up weapons are only around 100 kg heavy and can be easily transported and set up by small teams, in a matter of minutes. They’ll also stay intact in case of gunfire or small explosions.

Even though this type of inflatable decoys have been very popular in World War II and the Cold War, they are just as important and useful now as they were then. Rusbal says they are now creating inflatable decoys for Russia and several other Western countries.

Photos via CCTV

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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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Santisuk a 5-year-old pig-tailed macaque is a proud member of the Thai police, doing his best to keep the streets crime-free.

Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, since Santisuk is really just a mascot for the police force of Saliburi district, Thailand. He was found injured, a while back, and has since then been adopted by local policemen. Every day he puts on his “Monkey Police” uniform and accompanies his colleagues on patrols. He doesn’t do arrests or stakeouts, but he does sit on top of the police car drawing attention and improving police image, in locals’ eyes.

You could say Santisuk is the best PR guy police could ever hire. And he enjoys every minute of his job, especially when he receives tasty treats.

Photos by Damir Sagolj/REUTERS via Daylife

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Inspired by the rocky beach front of Combe Martin, a British couple decided to get married in a Flintstones-themed wedding.

Ed Martin and Gayla Robinson moved to Combe Martin in September of last year, and inspired by their rocky surroundings, decided to opt for something more original than a white wedding. They plastered the stage of the Landmark Theater to look like a cave, had their 100 guests dress like cavemen, and even built a replica of the Flintstones car.

As you can imagine, the best man and maid of honor were dressed like Barney and Betty Rubble, and the page girl and boy, as Pebbles and Bam Bam. Just like the Star-Wars wedding, the Peter-Pan wedding, or pretty much any themed wedding, it was a fun event that everyone enjoyed.

Photos by GUY HARROP

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An old lady, in her 70s, has taken China by storm, after some photos of her appeared on a Chinese forum.

It might seem unusual for a lady of her age to act all goofy like that, but according to Sun Linchong, the woman’s grandson, and the man behind the camera, this adorable granny is very open and cool with new things. Together they set up some props and take funny photos, just for laughs.

When he uploaded the first set of photos, Sun Linchong had no idea his grandmother would become a Chinese internet sensation, but people who’ve seen were instantly mesmerized. Now the duo regularly upload funny photos that apparently remind viewers of their beloved grannies. Take a look at this cool gal:

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Cats aren’t known as the bravest animals on the planet, at least not when they’re confronted by a larger adversary. But this kitty is an exception.

Meet Lynx, a playful house cat who lives in the frozen taiga of the Kamchatka peninsula. Every day, the purring feline goes paw to paw with wild animals drawn in by the smell of food, cooked by her masters. Foxes can’t resist the smell of bacon and pancakes in the morning, so they carefully approach Lynx’s house. What they don’t know is this little ball of fur turns into a lion as soon as something comes within a 50 meter radius of her house.

Her masters say she often confronts passing bears, and although they’re not very troubled by her, this doesn’t stop Lynx from displaying her courage.

via Shpilenok

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Featuring a 10-inch tall platform, made out of elephant poop, these crazy stilettos stink, for real.

Created by London-based designer, INSA, the elephant dung shoes are a response to the famous work of Chris Ofili, who used elephant dung in all of his paintings. INSA retraced Ofili’s footsteps, from over 15 years ago, and used dung from the same family of elephants Ofili preferred. Just to be clear, we’re not talking about dung taken directly off the ground and slapped on the shoes.The material is treated to avoid putrefaction.

If you thought those hoof-shaped shoes were weird, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these elephant dung stilettos. I wonder if they still stink, though…

via designboom

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They’re probably going to end up in someone’s burger, but at least these guys can say they’ve lived a happy life.

A Russian farmer learned that happy cows are more productive, so he decided to buy some state of the art LED TVs (not sure if they’re HD) so the cows can have something to watch. The TV’s play an endless loop of images taken in the Swiss Alps, showing green pastures, lakes and trees, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The reaction of the cows wasn’t as spectacular as you might expect. These are high quality displays, a human would have probably jumped for joy, but the cows simply ignored their expensive gifts. Now the farmer is measuring the results of his investment, by comparing the productivity of these television-watching cows, to a group deprived of television.

I tell you, these cows better step up their game, or they might end up with a hole in their stomachs. And that’s no joke.

via EnglishRussia

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Calm down Apple fanboys, I’m not calling your venerable hero cheesy. It’s just that what else are you going to call the head of Steve Jobs, made of Mozzarella cheese?

An able cook, who also happens to be an avid Apple fanboy, decided to show his appreciation for the “greatest consumer electronics company of all times”, by making the head of its leader, Steve Jobs, out of Mozzarella.

I have to say the cook made great use of only cheese and pepper, to create a very detailed image of Steve Jobs. He’s going to serve Steve Jobs’ Mozzarella head at an iPad Launch Party. If you want to do the same, head over to The Cook’s Den, for detailed instructions on how to make your own.

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Danish artist Nina Maria Kleivan replaced her new-born daughter’s baby clothes with uniforms of known dictators .

No, Ms. Kleivan is not a fan of dictatorship, she just used this opportunity to show that evil is present in all of us, no matter how innocent we may look. The idea for this unusual art project came to Nina after she suffered some complications from her pregnancy,and was forced to spend some time at home.

Away from her art studio, the artist chose her young daughter, Faustina, as a canvas. Looking at her, Nina started contemplating on the idea that each human being starts with a clean slate and has the opportunity to do good or bad, in life. “Even my daughter could end up ruling Denmark with an iron fist. The possibility is still there,” she says.

Like the Childzilla series, Potency may be comical, but it’s meant to have people ponder on where evil comes from. Read More »