Woman Unknowingly Prays to ‘Lord of the Rings’ Figurine for Years
A great-grandmother from Brazil has accidentally been praying to a figurine of Elrond, and elf from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, after mistaking it for Saint Anthony, the late Portuguese priest and patron saint of lost things. Gabriela Brandão, a make-up artist from Florianópolis, Brazil, made this hilarious discovery last week, posting a series of […]
Scammer Makes Seven Figures Buying Luxury Bags Online and Returning Chinese Fakes for Full Refunds
A Thai woman living in Virgina was recently convicted for masterminding an elaborate designer purse scheme that involved buying hundreds of authentic accessories online and returning Chinese knock-offs for full refunds. She would then sell the originals on sites like eBay, for about $2,000 each. Over a number of years, 41-year-old Praepitcha Smatsorabudh, a preschool teacher […]
China’s Increasing “Bride Price” Makes Marriage Virtually Impossible for Poor Bachelors
The shortage of women caused by China’s one-child policy, combined with the country’s economic boom over the last two decades have made marriage a grim prospect for poor men in rural regions. These two factors have bumped up the “bride price” to hundreds of thousands of yuan, sometimes even millions, obscene amounts that most men can’t […]