India’s Medicine Baba Takes Prescription Medicine from the Rich, Gives It to the Poor

Omkarnath, a retired blood-bank technician from New Delhi, is a modern-day medical Robin Hood. For the past three years, the 79-year-old has been collecting unused prescription drugs from the wealthy and distributing them among the less fortunate. His efforts have earned him the nickname ‘Medicine Baba’.

‘Baba’ is a term used in India to describe a wise, elderly man. New Delhi’s very own Medicine Baba walks over seven kilometers each day, combing the city and stopping at almost every door, asking for unused medicines. He’s also set up dozens of collection boxes in private clinics around the city, where people can make donations. According to Omkarnath, “Every bungalow in Delhi has extra medicines, but they are throwing them in their dustbins.” But the best neighborhoods, he insists, are the middle-class and lower middle-class ones. “One morning, I got a strip of anti-cancer medication worth 35,000 rupees ($545),” he recalled.

Medicine-Baba

Read More »

Japanese Anti-Suicide Crusader Has Saved over 500 People in the Last 11 Years

Yukio Shige, a retired police officer from Japan, has devoted the past decade of his life to preventing suicides. After foiling hundreds of suicide attempts in little over a decade, the 70-year-old has come to be known as ‘chotto matte man’. In Japanese, ‘chotto matte’ translates to ‘hold on, wait!’

In the last 11 years, Yukio Shigehas has managed to save over 500 lives – a significant number even in Japan, a country with one of the highest suicide rates in the world. He patrols the Tojinbo cliffs, in Fukui Prefecture – a popular tourist site that is also notorious for suicides. He goes there every single day, with three other volunteers. Together they use binoculars to spot people who might be contemplating suicide, and try to talk them out of it.

Yukio-Shige Read More »

Guy Wins French-Language Scrabble Championship, Doesn’t Even Speak French

Nigel Richards is a beast when it comes to the game of Scrabble. He’s so good that he recently won the French Language Scrabble Championship without even speaking the language. ‘

“He doesn’t speak any French at all – he just learned the words,” Nigel’s friend Liz Fagerlund told the media. “He won’t know what they mean, wouldn’t be able to carry out a conversation in French, I wouldn’t think.” No wonder they call him the ‘Tiger Woods of Scrabble’.

French journalist and self-confessed Scrabble lover Jean-Baptiste Morel wrote: “He doesn’t speak French, but he learned to play in our language by reading the words of the ODS (Official Scrabble Book) as if it were a sequence of letters to learn. The man, as well as having a perfect command of the vocabulary, possesses an impressive game tactic that allows him to leapfrog the competition.” Morel added that Richard had managed to win in spite of a “pretty rotten” draw of letters.

Nigel-Richards-scrabble

Read More »

This Woman Lets Self-Proclaimed Vampires Suck Her Blood

28-year-old Blut Katzchen, from Shreveport, Louisiana, recently made a shocking revelation – she allows self-proclaimed vampires to suck blood directly from her body!

There’s actually a term for people like Blut – they’re called ‘black swans’. Blut herself revealed that she’s been “entranced” with the whole vampire culture since she was very young. “I found a book on vampires in my sister’s collection and became completely entranced with it,” she said. “It takes a very specific type of mindset to enjoy being a swan – you have to be more submissive and enjoy giving.”

Blut’s latest admirer is 43-year-old Michael Vachmiel, from Houston, who claims that sucking her blood gives him a boost of energy. The duo met at a Vampire Ball two years ago, and have been meeting a few times a year ever since. “You have to have a very strong connection to the person who is feeding off you,” Blut explained.

Blut-Katzchen
Read More »

For Some Reason, These Guys Have Been Eating Chipotle for Over 100 Days Straight

Lots of people love Chipotle, but how many eat there every single day? According to recent news reports at least two. Mark Rantal and Andrew Hawryluk have been at the popular Mexican grill for over 100 days straight!

Rantal, 30, who has been eating at the restaurant for 108 days now, said he got into the practice by accident. “On Monday, I decided to get Chipotle and on Tuesday, I made the same decision, then got lunch with my friend there on Wednesday,” he told reporters. “We laughed about it at lunch and he asked how long I thought I could go. And that began the thought.”

Soon, Rantal hit one week, and then a month, and then he just kept going from there. “Every time I hit a milestone, it was very easy and convenient to imagine hitting the next,” he said. And he got the same meal every single time – a burrito bowl with white rice, pinto beans, fajitas, sofritas, mild salsa, corn, medium salsa, cheese and lettuce.

Chipotle-diet Read More »

Chinese Company Unveils Fully-Functional 3D-Printed Villas That Can Be Assembled in Three Hours

3D-printed homes aren’t exactly new, but the rapid progress made in this new industry never cease to amaze us here at Oddity Central. Earlier this year we wrote about a Chinese company that used a specially designed 3D printer to create large ec0-friendly housing in record time. Another construction company has now perfected the process, making it possible to assemble a fully functional home in just three hours!

The revolutionary new technology was developed by Zhuoda Group, in Xi’an, central China. On July 17, they put up a two-storey sample villa built from pre-constructed components that were printed in a factory and later lifted into place using a crane. The instant villas cost only about 3,500 yuan ($564) per square meter, which is far lower than the current industry standard.

3d-printed-villa

Read More »

Kidney Valley – The Nepalese Village Where Almost Everyone Has Sold One of Their Kidneys

Believe it or not, the villagers of Hokse, Nepal, are so poor that they’re forced to sell their own organs in order to make ends meet. The practice is so common there that the place has been nicknamed ‘Kidney Village’.

Organ brokers regularly visit the village and its surrounding areas and convince cash-strapped locals to part with one of their healthy kidneys. These agents are notorious for tricking innocent villagers into traveling to Southern India to have their operations. They cook up all sorts of tales, telling the poor villagers that humans only need one kidney for survival or that the organ, once removed, will grow back! That particular trick was used to fool Geetha, a mother-of-four who sold her kidney for only $2,000.

“For ten years people came to our village trying to convince us to sell our kidneys but I always said no,” Geetha said. But as her family grew, her desire to provide them with a house got stronger. “I have always wanted my own house and a piece of land, and with more children, I really needed it.” So she traveled with her sister-in-law, an organ broker, to India, and underwent the operation.

kidney-valley-nepal Read More »

Silicon Valley Tech Companies Turn to Wiccan Witch to Deal with Pesky Computer Viruses and Demons

Modern technology doesn’t exactly go hand in hand with witchcraft, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping Silicon Valley companies from employing the services of a Wiccan witch to help them deal with hackers, computer viruses and demonic possessions.

Reverend Joey Talley is a witch of the Wicca faith with more than four decades of experience in dealing with the occult and three master’s degrees under her belt. Based in Marin County, just outside Silicone Valley, the Wiccan witch is the-go-to person for computer programmers, software designers, and engineers facing problems that they feel are supernatural in nature. The fact that Talley has absolutely no background in technology or IT, or that she often refers to the tech industry as the “techno industry” doesn’t bother them one bit.

Joey-Talley-witch

Read More »

Meet “Miss Farewell”, the Most Beautiful Undertaker in Germany

In an effort to brighten up the image of undertaking, a profession often regarded as joyless, a German online portal for burial price comparisons recently held a unique beauty contest for female undertakers. 36-year-old Rachel Merks got the most votes and was pronounced Miss Farewell.

Merks, who runs an undertaking firm with her husband, in Lachheim, Baden-Württemberg, said she first heard about the Miss Farewell beauty contest from her brother-in-law. Intrigued by the idea, she submitted a few photos of herself along with a short description. Little did Rachel know that she would actually beat 46 other female undertakers from all over Germany and win the coveted title of Germany’s most beautiful undertaker. “It is wonderful to show this depressing taboo theme in another light for once,” the proud winner said.

Rahel-Merks-Miss-Farewell

Read More »

Guy Kicks Himself in the Head 134 Times in 1 Minute, Sets New World Record

Kicking yourself in the head might simply sound stupid to most people, but it’s also unbelievably hard, requiring extreme flexibility and stability. Doing it 134 times in just 60 seconds sounds impossible, which is what makes Puskar Nepal’s record so impressive.

The young Nepalese apparently spent eight months developing his own head-kicking technique, which involved bending his upper body to an almost 90-degree angle and using both feet to kick his forehead, while maintaining his balance. One of the witnesses of Puskar’s official Guinness World Record attempt at Kantipur City College in Kathmandu, Nepal, said he was so amazed by his speed that he had to watch the whole thing in slow motion to accurately count the number of kicks.

Puskar-Nepal

Read More »

Introducing the Bloxers – Boxers That Hide Your Erection in Public

I can think of few things more embarrassing for a man than getting an erection in public with no real way to conceal it. Luckily, with Bloxers, that doesn’t have to be a problem anymore.

From the outside, ‘Bloxers’ look just like regular boxers, but with the ability to ‘block’ an erection from public view. The makers of the revolutionary new product in men’s wear are currently raising money through crowdfunding site Indiegogo. They claim to be all about “happy men, sexually, emotionally, medically.”

“Our new product centers on keeping yourself or the men in your life from experiencing the negative effects of what is fundamentally a very good thing,” the brilliant minds behind Bloxers said. “It’s funny, innovative and ultimately for the better good.”

Bloxers

Read More »

Scottish Waiters Stop Wearing Kilts Due to Constant Groping by Women

Fed up of with being constantly groped by women, the waiters of Scottish pub ‘Hootananny’, in Inveness, have decided to stop wearing their kilts. That’s a pretty big deal, since Hootananny staff have been wearing tartan to match the traditional Scottish atmosphere, ever since the place opened. But now the guys say that they’re being sexually harassed by female revelers who lift up their kilts to check if they are true Scotsmen!

According to Hootananny assistant manager Iain Howie, the harassment usually occurs during the weekends when the pub is at its busiest. “You get large groups of drinking women circling around when you are collecting glasses and asking whether you are a true Scotsman,” he said. “And they find out for themselves.”

“The first few times it’s funny,” he added. “But when it is really busy and everyone has to work fast and hard, and your hands are full of glasses, you feel quite vulnerable. You are thinking, ‘are you going to get broken glasses, or is your kilt going to get lifted up again?’ They see it as a bit of fun, but it is a bit of an embarrassment.”

Hootananny-waiters Read More »

Guy Throws Up, Passes Out on Plane after Wearing 12 Layers of Clothing to Avoid Paying Excess Baggage Tax

Scottish singer James McElvar was recently in the news not for his vocal prowess, but for fainting on a flight! The teenager was so desperate to avoid paying excess baggage fee that he put on 12 layers of clothing. his overheated body didn’t really like the idea and he ended up passing out at 37,000 ft, on the way from London to Glasgow.

James, 19, is a member of a Scottish boyband called Rewind. When the band arrived at Stansted Airport last Wednesday, James was told by EasyJet staff that he would have to pay £45 for the excess weight he had packed into his suitcase and rucksack. “The woman told me either one of my bags went in the hold or we weren’t getting on,” he later told the media. “The rest of the band had gone through so I couldn’t give them any of my clothes.”

Unwilling to cough up the cash, James did the first thing that occurred to him – he unpacked his bag and started to put on all his clothes. He didn’t stop until he had about 12 layers of clothing on! “I felt it was the only option, to put everything on,” the singer explained. He ended up dressing himself in six t-shirts, four jumpers, three pairs of jeans, two pairs of jogging bottoms, a pair of jackets, and two hats.

James-McElvar Read More »

Forget Bug Spray, Japanese Company Creates Mosquito Net Jumpsuits

In a bid to combat the mosquito menace that plagues Japan every summer, Bibi Lab has released an innovative new product, called the Netsmen Wearable Mosquito Suit. The ‘unusual but effective’ full body suit is perfect for outdoor use – it protects the wearer from mosquito bites by encasing literally every inch of the body in a net!

The lightweight coat is made of polyester mesh, with breathable 1mm holes all over, which are smaller than the holes on a regular mosquito screen. It has a net hood for the head, and covers for the legs and hands as well. Each section can be individually unzipped, folded back, and held in place with fasteners. There’s a zip right around the waist, so using the bathroom shouldn’t be a clumsy affair.

mosquito-net-body-suit

Read More »

Japanese Women Are Falling Hard for a “Handsome” Gorilla Named Shabani

Meet Shabani, a handsome male gorilla that has managed to steal the hearts of young women all over Japan. He is fondly known as ‘ikimen’, a Japanese term for ‘good-looking man’, and some have even hailed him as the animal-world equivalent of George Clooney or Hugh Jackman!

Shabani, who grew up in an Australian zoo, has been living at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya, Japan, since 2007. The western lowland gorilla is blessed with a shiny black coat and a macho brooding expression that make him very photogenic. In fact, his photos have gone viral on Twitter, where fans have shared them thousands of times over with comments like: “he’s too handsome!”

Shabani-Gorilla

Read More »