Shaolin Soccer in Real Life

Remember the comedy “Shaolin Soccer” starring Stephen Chow? It was an over-the-top film that featured a mix of soccer and Shaolin kung-fu. Well, believe it or not, Shaolin soccer exists in real life!

The younger students of the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng City, China have found an original way of practicing their kung-fu and enjoying themselves at the same time. Whenever they’re not busy meditating, studying or working around the temple, the boys, aged 15 to 18, engage in a spectacular game of Shaolin soccer.

Just like in the above mentioned film, Shaolin soccer features both soccer and kung-fu moves, combined in a very entertaining way. The young monks leap through the air, kick the football like it’s an opponent, and even sit on their heads,while holding the ball. As you can imagine, every one of their Shaolin soccer games draws quite the local crowd.

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The X-Men #1 Toilet Is Pefect for Mutant Poop

It’s hard to believe anyone would use the number one selling comic-book of all time to decorate a standard American toilet, but it’s the pure truth.

eBay user xenenouveau has used all 4 variants of the X-Men #1 comic book, and the deluxe issue to cover an entire toilet. You could say he flushed the whole thing down a toilet, but the result is really quite interesting. Using scissors and X-Acto blades, he deconstructed the comic, image by image, and plastered them on every inch of the X-Men #1 toilet.

It sure looks like this one-of-a-kind toilet could now handle anything you throw at it, but its creator doesn’t guarantee it will function as a working toilet. He did spend over 80 hours plastering the images and covering them with 5-6 layers of polyurethane, but we all know how water find every little breach, and it could turn into a disaster. But, once you win the auction, you can use it any way you like.

The starting bid for the X-Men #1 toilet is $400, but there are no bids, so far. Which is sort of strange, considering the number of X-Men fans out there.

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Chinese Football Fan Trains Team of Roosters

China’ may not have been present at the World Cup 2010, in South Africa, but its team of football playing roosters would probably win any competition.

Zhang Lijun has always been a big fan of football, but he decided to take his passion for the sport to a whole new level three years, when he started training his roosters to handle a ball. Now, chickens aren’t exactly famous for their intelligence and ability to learn new things, but Zhang’s roosters have developed mad football skills.

The unusual football team is made up of only two players, and they recently had to go head to head in a mock World Cup match, on the city streets, in Liaoling Province China. Zhang Lijun played the role of the referee, while the two roosters used their feet and wings to handle the ball. Passers-by gathered to watch the bizarre spectacle and were surprised by the bird’s dribbling skills.

Maybe Zhang’s roosters should play in the national football team, or may be he could be the new coach. Either way, China would have a higher chance of qualifying next time.

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Who Knew Intel Made Candy?

I’m pretty sure not even Intel knew they made candy, but these Russian candy clearly have the Intel logo on the wrapper.

You’d think whoever made these would at least change its logo from “Intel inside” to something like “Candy inside”, but apparently they decided to take full advantage of the “i CORE” processors series to sell their products. I have to agree those are some sweet processors to have in your rig, but I never imagined they were actually good enough to eat. The i3, i5 and i7 Intel candy comes in different flavors and can be found in various Russian shops.

I wonder what’s next, Nvidia waffles?

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Best Made Axe Sling – A Zombie Hunter’s Accessory

This sounds like something you’d normally see in a movie like Zombieland, but the Best Made Co Axe Sling is a real-life fashion accessory.

So this company, Best Made, sells axes, and I’m not talking about the normal kind, you find at the local department store. These babies are stylish accessories better suited for an axe murderer or a zombie hunter, than for a lumberjack. They have a beautiful painted handle, a nice leather cap and come in a cool wooden crate.

And now they’ve even launched a new accessory for their axes, the Best Made Axe Sling makes it easy to carry your trusted axe around anywhere, just in case you run into a zombie, or if you just feel like splitting someone’s skull open. Come on, you know you’ve thought about it.

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Football Fan Turns Living Room into World Cup Stadium

Just because he wasn’t able to travel to South Africa, and support his national team, on the scene, doesn’t mean football fan Mark Thompson can’t experience the vibe of a crowded stadium, right in he comfort of his own living room.

45-year-old Mark Thompson, and his 55-year-old wife Kate decided to pick a theme for this year’s Football World Cup, and after doing some online research, they decided the stadium would do just fine. They covered the side walls of their living room with England emblem wallpaper, designed a six yard line and penalty spot, on their green carpet, and set up a giant poster of the World Cup stadium, complete with drawn supporters.

The English couple were planning to redecorate anyway, and thought this was the perfect way to celebrate the greatest event in football, before giving their house a whole new look. Now they’re ready to invite friends to watch Engalnd’s football games, on a “real” stadium, with a theme for every match. When they played the US, Karen served burgers, with Algeria she will cook curries, and against Slovenia they’ll have goulash.

A big fan of Manchester United, Mark says he’s taken out all the furniture and replaced it with some garden chairs, during the World Cup. Although his wife, Karen, would like things to get back to normal once the football tournament is over, Mark confesses he’d like to keep his makeshift stadium for a lot longer.

via Daily Mail and Oldham Evening Chronicle

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Chinese Taxi Drivers Invited to Destroy Unlicensed Cabs

With so many people to drive around, it’s no wonder the Chinese taxi business is so competitive, but authorities are finally doing something about those unlicensed cabs that are ruining perfectly legitimate companies.

To show the world they are committed to riding China of illegal taxi cabs, authorities in Chengdu have invited 50 taxi drivers to publicly destroy 140 illegal vehicles, captured by the police. Armed with iron bars, the drivers released all their anger and frustration on their competition’s cars, until they reduced them to mere scrap metal.

Out of the 140 destroyed cabs, 73 were knock-offs, and 67 were illegal vehicles whose drivers failed to pay their fines, in due time. Most of the illegal taxi cabs in China are put together from scrap metal parts, and made to appear brand new. Their severely used parts and tires often lead to severe accidents, and the cars are very difficult to chase down.

Photos via ImagineChina

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College Students Create Largest R2D2 Replica Ever

An unknown group of students from Carleton College decided to show their passion for Star Wars, by transforming their school’s observatory into a giant replica of R2D2.

Their idea truly is commendable, seeing they did such a good job, without using spay paint or doing any other permanent damage to the observatory. All the decorations were draped or taped on the observatory, and they even got it to make bleeping and blooping sounds.

The college authorities were so proud of the student’s harmless enterprise, they decided to post photos of their achievement on the Carleton College Facebook page.

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Monster Tricycle Is Impractical But Totally Awesome

What can you do with a monster truck tire and a rich imagination? Build a kick-ass tricycle, of course.

We can’t all build our very own sports car, or make a Batmobile replica out of scratch, but a good idea and some technical skills go along way, and this monster tricycle is the perfect example. Making great use of a giant tire, some European managed to build an old-school, with a modern twist.

Judging by the video footage below, riding the monster tricycle requires great leg  muscles, and I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if anyone were to ride it down hill, but it’s a great way to get noticed and become an Youtube sensation.

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Walking on Water at Dixon High School

The “Walk on Water” challenge of Dixon High School has reached its 8th edition. Just like every year, since this event was started, students had to walk on water, without falling in.

Over 120 physics students, in 27 groups, tried to cross a 50-meter-long pool, in the 2 minute time limit, without getting wet. To complete this task, they were required to build mechanical gear that would keep them afloat and moving, at the same time. From giant hamster wheels, to floating skis, the students tried everything.

A few of them actually succeed in walking on water, and thus won the big prize: the chance to skip a final exam. Now that’s worth getting a little wet, over.

Photos by Renee C. Byer/Sacbee.com

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P-Tree: The Perfect Solution to a Pressing Problem

By strapping urinals on a bunch of trees, a Dutch designer has solved one of the most serious of men’s problems, finding a toilet when you need one.

Sam van Veluw came up with this interesting concept, one night, at a music concertm while he was desperately looking for a public toilet. As soon as his eyes met a tree, the idea of strapping a waterless urinal onto a tree, simply popped into his head.

Named the P-Tree, this outdoor urinal can be hooked up to a central sewer system, or an onsite infiltration system that would dispose of the fluids and nourish the tree with nitrogen, at the same time. I’m sure we’ll probably never see any P-Tree urinals, at least not in countries with indecent exposure laws, but Sam’s idea is definitely refreshing.

via Inhabitat

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Public Toilets Never Looked This Good

Looking at the photo, below, you’re probably thinking something like “that’s a nice looking villa”, only it’s really just a Chinese public toilet.

This luxurious public facility was built on Nanshan Road, Xiamen, near the city’s residential area. It covers 100 square meters, offering clean, spacious toilets, for both men and women. Realizing people would probably mistake it for a private villa, city authorities placed a big “Nanshan public toilets” sign, on the balcony.

Even so, passers by were reluctant to use the fancy toilet, so another sign was added, on the sidewalk. This one says “free, open, civilized service”. Both men’s and women’s toilets feature artistically designed signs, and the second floor of this public toilet villa houses the administrator’s office. Although hundreds of people use this fancy restroom, every day, he says he never sensed any foul smells.

via CRI Online

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Japanese Women Slash Away the Pounds with Samurai Swords

Once used as deadly weapons, to slash enemies apart, Japanese Katana swords are now used by Japanese white-collar women to slash away extra pounds and cut down stress.

The recently opened “Samurai Camp” gym, in Tokyo,  looks more like the training ground for modern amazons. More than 100 of them have signed up for this unusual fitness program that aims to help them lose 11 pounds in just one month. The inventor of samurai sword fitness, 31-year-old Takafuji Ukon, believed men would be more interested in the art of Katana wielding, but much to his surprise, women were the ones who flocked to the gym.

Ukon is not a martial arts expert, but he is a master of sword dancing, and knows just what moves to teach, so the women can shed the extra weight. Still, in order to avoid potentially deadly accidents, real swords were replaced with wooden ones, wrapped in tin foil.

Since we don’t live in an era where slashing people is allowed, Takafuji Ukon teaches his students to visualize fat and stress as the enemies, when they’re using the swords. And according to the clients of Samurai Camp, they appreciate the chance to get in touch with Japanese culture, relax, and lose weight, all at the same time.

Photos by AFP via ChinaNews

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Swiss Police Hire Guardian Angel to Prevent Speeding

The police department in Freibourg, west Switzerland, have come up with an original idea to stop motorists from driving to fast. They’ve hired a roadside angel.

Part of the “Slow Down, Take It Easy” anti-speeding campaign, the angel of Freibourg hopes to reduce the number of accidents, in the mountainous state of Switzerland. He’ll be showing up in different roadside locations, around Freibourg, and flap his wings at drivers that are going to fast.

Police hope a physical presence will make the message of the campaign even stronger and actually get people to slow down. The bearded actor who plays the angel, will work 20 hours a week,  until October. Those that spot him are encouraged to email the police department, for the chance of winning a driving lesson.

Photos by the Freibourg Police

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Iron Man Lobster Suit Spotted in England

Cromer is really big on lobsters, and the English coast town even host an annual lobster festival. This year, among the other funny lobster statues, a funny Iron-Man suit appeared.

Blogger Meimi132 recently traveled to Cromers, and during her sightseeing sessions, she managed to take a few photos of this ridiculous, lobster-shaped Iron-Man suit. I’m pretty sure you’d need to have a seriously curbed spine, to fit in that thing, but I must say, it’s pretty original.

And according to Meimi132’s reports, this is just one of 80 crazy lobster statues, scattered around Cromer. Among the coolest ones are the statues of a lobster Na’Vi, from the movie Lobatar, ant of Shreddthe villain of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Although you couldn’t recogniold Shredder if you’re life depended on it.

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