Looking at it, Heaven of Delight looks like a beautiful painting, but in reality, it’s made out of one million six hundred thousand jewel-scarab wing cases.

In the 19th century, it was customary for the king of Belgium to give a space in the Royal Palace to contemporary artists. This tradition died with King Leopold II, in 1909. Fortunately, Queen Paola is an art enthusiast and decided to revive the custom by commissioning an artwork by artist Jan Fabre.

With the help of 29 young artists, Fabre created Heaven of Delight,  a fresco in the Hall of Mirrors, completely out of the glowing shells of jewel-scarabs. It contains various shapes that glow in a greenish-blue light, depending on the angle from which they are viewed.

Jewel-beetles are not a protected species so it was easy for Jan Favreau to gather them from countries like Thailand, where they are eaten as a delicacy, and use them for his Heaven of Delight. This masterpiece can be admired in the Royal Palace of Brussels

via Angelos

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At least that’s what over 5,000 followers of Viassarion the Teacher would have you believe.

Sergei Torop is a 48-year-old spiritual leader who believes he is the reincarnation of Jesus. A former traffic policeman, Torop was laid-off in 1991 and suddenly realized he was the Second Coming of Jesus, 2,000 years after he was crucified. That’s when he became Viassarion.

Of course, he’s not the only man on Earth claiming to be the Son of God, but unlike most of them, Viassarion the Teacher actually managed to gain a significant following, including artists and intellectuals who actually moved to and around the small Siberian town of Petropavlovka, just to be close to their Messiah.

Sergei Torop has been traveling to other countries to convert followers and, although he has been accused he’s been doing it for personal gain, Viassarion says his church makes no money whatsoever.

via Daily Mail

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67-year-old Frank Evans, Britain’s oldest and only bullfighter, returns to the bullfighting arena and slays 2 unlucky horned beasts.

After a knee replacement and a quadruple bypass, ageless matador Frank Evans performed once again in the Plaza de Toros, in Benalmadena, on the Costa del Sol. A grandfather of five, Evans looked cool as ice, though he had to best two big bulls that could have ended his career in just one second.

El Ingles admits it’s not the most pleasant way to spend an afternoon, but, although he got a cut on his face, a few bruises and grazes, he only remembers the good bits of the fight.

Now one of the most popular bullfighters in Spain, Frank Evans started at the bottom, taking bullfighting lessons in his spare time. He got his first bullfighting contract in France, by pure luck, when he was mistaken for another bullfighter. He later gave up, because of lack of gigs, but decided to return to follow his dream when his fathered died. He decided life was too short not to do what you really love.

Now, El Ingles has dozens of scheduled bullfights and the crowds love him.

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Also known as “Casas Colgadas“, The Hanging Houses are the most popular attractions of Cuenca, Spain.

The history and exact origin of The Hanging Houses is unclear. Some believe they are of Muslim origin, while others say they are Medieval. Centuries ago, this kind of building was frequently seen throughout Cuenca, but nowadays only three “Casas Colgadas” remain, built in a cliff, above Huecar Gorge.

La Casa de la Sirena (House of the Mermaid) and the two Casas de Rey (Houses of Kings) were built somewhere between the 13th and 15th centuries and have been renovated in the 20th century. Now the houses host the Museum of Abstract Arts and a restaurant, but they remain the most photographed landmarks in Cuenca.

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British artist Paul Baker spent two months creating an edible map of Britain, made completely out of sweets.

Prior to the creation of the Sweet Map of Britain, a survey was conducted and 1,500 Brits from all around the British Isles named their favorite sweets. That’s when 49-year-old Paul Baker’s job began. He started working on a two square meters map of Britain with the representative sweets for each area.

For example, people in the South East prefer liquorice so the area was created mainly from liquorice, while Middlanders named jelly beans as their favorite sweets and the South-West and North-West opted for wine gums. In the end, the artist used 4,000 sweets for his delicious map.

It took 2 months to complete, twice as long as scheduled, because some of the boiled sweets started melting under the surprisingly hot sun. But now that the model is finished, Baker says it should keep for a few months, as long as it’s not kept in a hot room.

The sweet map of Britain comes complete with popular landmarks, such as The Angel of the North, Tower Bridge, Mount Snowdon, the Silverstone Race Track and even a representation of the Loch Ness Monster.

The artist hopes to donate his sweet map of Britain to a children’s hospital while it’s still edible.

via Daily Mail

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You won’t be able to drive it, but you can sure take a bite out of it.

One of the weirdest Formula 1 cars ever is on display at the Royal Plaza on Scotts, in Singapore and you can see it live until September 27. A Culinary Executive Chef led a team of 6 chefs, 2 artists, 2 technicians and 5 volunteers in an effort to create the largest bread Formula 1 car in Asia. They succeeded and the result is simply delicious.

The team from the Royal Plaza on Scotts used 15 kg of yeast, 14 liters of water, 2 kg of salt and 10800 ml of food varnish to create 1,000 loaves and 22 different kinds of bread. It took $15,000 and 549 hours of assembly work but I’m sure they’re all very proud of their achievement.

Be sure to check the making-of video at the bottom and for more photos just click here.

via Klik.tv

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Grooming a poodle is not easy, but these photos go to show you just how complex this craft can be.

Ren Netherland is the owner of animalphotography.com, an online pet photography studio and the man who tours the country to take photos of winners at grooming competitions all over the United States.

Personally I never considered grooming to be an art, but more like something that needs to be done, but Ren’s photos prove just how wrong I was. And to think groomers complete these living masterpieces in just two hours, amazing!

via Telegraph.co.uk

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It turns out being “The Beauty of the Nile” is not only very painful, but also very expensive.

Nileen Namita, a 49-year-old woman from Brighton, Britain, has spent the last 20 years trying to look as the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. She says she often had dreams about Nefertiti when she was only a child. Her visions showed her the queen’s quarters, her servants and, although she was frightened at first, she started doing some research.

When Miss Namita first saw a representation of Nefertiti, she was amazed of how alike they looked and decided to make it her life’s goal to look just like the ancient queen of Egypt. Her efforts began in 1987 and since then she has had 51 plastic surgeries and says her face is still a work in progress. After eight nose jobs, three chin implants, three face lifts and many other interventions, Nileen Namita says she is very pleased with the way she looks, as are the much younger men who try to approach her when she goes out on the town.

This modern “Beauty of the Nile” has spent 200,000 British pounds on her surgeries and is bent on spending all her savings on more face work. She says her family supports her and she believes her look is ageless. Just give her another 10-15 years, I doubt she’ll fell the same way.

via Daily Mail

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Suman Khatun is a 5-year-old Indian girl who just can’t stop eating. Doctors say she will end-up eating herself to death if she doesn’t seek medical help soon.

Suman’s problems were noticed ever since she was three months old and by the time she turned two, she weighed 38kg. Now, at age five, Suman weighs over 75 kg and will continue to gain around 15 kg every year, unless her condition is cured.

Her parents earn little over $10 a week and are having problems providing the amount of food Suman needs. She eats 10 kg of rice, 5 kg of potatoes, 24 eggs and 6 liters of milk every week and often goes around asking neighbors for more food. When her family refuses to feed her, she screams, cries and even throws rocks at them.

Suman already suffers from severe respiratory issues and her family can’t afford to take her to Calcutta for a specialized consult. According to the local doctor, Suman Kathun has a malfunctioning pituitary gland and needs to see a specialist in Delhi or Mumbai, before it’s too late.

via Telegraph.co.uk

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Bord of just swimming and diving for no reason, the Germans came up with a sport that spices things up, underwater rugby.

Never thought a game like rugby could be played underwater, did you? To tell you the truth I didn’t imagine it either, but this goes to show you anything is possible. Underwater rugby is pretty simple, teams of 12 (of which 6 can be in the water at a time) battle to get a ball into two metal baskets, set at opposite sides of the pool.

The ball is filled with a saline solution, which makes it heavier than normal water and slowly sinks instead of rising to the surface. This allows strong players to throw and pass it for a few meters, despite the drag of the water. There aren’t many rules in this sport, players have to stop opponents from scoring, at any costs. It’s even permitted to sit in the basket to block a player from scoring, but if you can’t hold your breath long enough, you’ll have to go up for air and leave the “goal” exposed.

Check out the short video at the bottom, to get an idea of how underwater rugby is played and head over to uwsport.de, for more details on the sport.

via Yofavo

I knew cooked field rats were eaten in Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam (they look very tasty too), but it seems they’re regarded as a delicacy in African countries like Malawi.

Living in one of the world’s poorest countries, the people of Malawi have to survive any way they can, so when they’re confronted with the choice of eating mice or starving to death, you can guess what they opt for.

Young children chase the “tasty” critters through the corn fields, right after the harvest, when the mice are nice and fat. To easily catch Kapuku, the most popular edible species of mice, locals set up traps throughout the fields. They fill large clay vats with water and smear them with fried corn husks. As the rats fight over the husks, some of them fall in and drown.

The mice are cooked, salted or dried, then strung on sticks and sold as delicacies. Yum!

Of course I already knew that, since this isn’t the first time I post about a goth wedding. I guess I just needed something to remind me of how bizarre these events are.

And these photos of a goth couple getting married in Russia did the trick. I’m sure they’re both nice people and I wish them a very happy marriage, but they scare the crap out of me. I mean she’s practically bald and makes Morticia look like a total babe, and he…Well, he looks like an elf on crack, no offense.

via English Russia

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An eBay user made an-awesome-looking replica of the Tumbler Batman drives in The Dark Knight, using a go kart and some parts available on eBay.

tully712 is now selling the plans needed to build the Tumbler and you can buy them from here. The winning bid now stands at $30.08.

Here’s a much better-looking replica of Batman’s Tumbler, but it’s also a lot more expensive.

via Neatorama

At just six years of age, Miko Andres can proudly call himself the youngest gun in the west…although he lives in the Philippines.

Miko handles his Colt 1911 handgun with impressive ease, loading, aiming at shooting it like this is what he was born to do. The six year-old took-up practical shooting at the beginning of 2009 and now he travels the country, participating in competition against 9-17 year-olds.

Miko’s father says he is aware of the dangers his young sun is facing by handling a gun loaded with live ammo, but says the boy’s safety is his primary concern. He also wants to introduce the world to Miko’s talent by bringing him to America to compete in international shooting events.

via Telegraph.co.uk

These incredible artworks belong to Scott Wade, a man who once again proves anything can be a diamond in the rough, even a dirty car window.

Scott Wade is a talented is a talented graphic designer, from Wimberley, Texas, who loves to get his hands dirty. He paints all kinds of pictures in the back of his and his wife’s car, using only his fingers, dust and a few brushes. From the Mona Lisa to the portrait of Albert Einstein, Wade has created a series of artworks that have often stopped traffic.

He says people often gather around their cars when they go out, just to admire the beauty and detail of his art. Some get out of their vehicles at a red light and take pictures of his car.

Mr. Wade doesn’t drive his cars on a dirt track to get it dirty enough. Instead he uses oil, a special kind of dirt and a hair dryer to spread it across the windows. This takes him about 10 minutes, instead of seven days of driving through the dirt.

Working with dust means his masterpieces are destroyed whenever it rains, but Scott Wade views that as an opportunity to create even more impressive artworks. You have to admit it’s a lot more impressive than writing “wash me” on a car window.

Go to Scott Wade’s official site to check out more photos of his dirty art.

via Daily Mail