Dubai’s “Professional Beggars” Earn a Lot More Money Than You
Everyone knows that Dubai is a rich city, but not many people know it is so rich that even beggars there can earn a small fortune by asking for handouts. Begging in Dubai is so lucrative that people come into the UAE legally, on a three-month travel visa, just so they can fill their pockets […]
Australia’s “Firehawks” Deliberately Start Wildfires to Flush Out Prey
According to a research paper published recently in the Journal of Ethnobiology, several Australian birds of prey have the habit of starting wildfires for the soul purpose of flushing out prey from the blazing grasslands. Interestingly, aboriginals have known about this for over 40,000 years and even have a name for the fire-wielding birds – […]
Turkmenistan’s President Allegedly Bans Black Cars Because He Prefers White
The new year got off to a rocky start for owners of black cars in Turkmenistan’s capital. Reports of black automobiles being impounded without warning or explanation have been coming out of Ashgabat since New Year’s Day. Police started returning the vehicles to their owners a few days ago, but only if they agree to […]
Turkish Academic Claims Noah Used Cellphone to Call His Son Before the Flood
On Jan. 6th, Turkish academic Dr. Yavuz Örnek, a lecturer at the Marine Sciences facility at Istanbul University, went on a TV programme at Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT 1 to make some pretty wild claims about the biblical story of Noah and the flood. Örnek said technologies were much more advanced 10,000 years ago than […]
Portuguese Town Encourages Children as Young as Five to Smoke on Epiphany
On January 6 the Portuguese village of Vale de Salgueiro celebrated the traditional Epiphany festival, also known as the Feast of The Three Kings. While the holiday involves such benign traditions as eating cake and singing carols, there is one tradition that causes an outcry every year – parents allow and even encourage their children […]
Woman Plans to Marry Tetris Video Game After Failed Relationship with a Calculator
A 20-year-old mathematics student from Orlando, Florida has announced her intention to marry the vintage computer game Tetris, after losing her previous boyfriend in a fatal accident. The ex-flame was a calculator called Pierre, and he met his demise during a routine cleaning. Noorul Mahjabeen Hassan, who prefers to go by Fractal Tetris Huracan, identifies […]
Japan Now Has a Cryptocurrency-Themed Idol Group
Cryptocurrency is still somewhat of a fringe phenomenon, and despite growing immensely in popularity over the past few years, it hasn’t taken off en masse yet. In Japan, a group of young women has set out to change that. Eight teenage girls have been chosen by the Japanese talent agency Cinderella Academy to join the […]
Muslim Man Marries Three Women at Once Because He Couldn’t Afford Three Separate Weddings
Mohammed Ssemanda, a 50-year-old Muslim man from Uganda, made news headlines all over Africa last month, when he married three women in a single ceremony, because he couldn’t afford to marry them separately. Ssemanda, a food vendor from the town of Katabi, in Uganda’s Wakiso district, caused quite a shock when he showed up at the […]
The “Raw Water” Craze – Untreated, Unfiltered Water Sold at Ludicrous Prices
Despite being a hub for technological advancement, California’s bay area is also notorious for absurd anti-science health trends such as the movement opposing vaccinations which, in 2014, lead to the most significant measles outbreak the state had seen in decades. Joining the absurdity of the “anti-vaxxers” is a new and equally ridiculous trend – “raw […]
Illinois Man Ordered to Stop Offering the Homeless Shelter from the Cold
An Illinois man who has been offering shelter to homeless people in his Chicago neighborhood has been ordered by city officials to cease and desist or risk having his home condemned. Greg Schiller, of Elgin, Illinois, began opening his home to a group of homeless people last month when the temperatures dropped dangerously low. He […]
Thai Men Are Undergoing Genitalia Whitening Treatments, for Some Reason
Thailand’s fascination with skin whitening treatments is well known, but while most people opt to have the most visible parts of their bodies whitened, an increasing number of men are undergoing special laser procedures on the dark parts of their groin region. News of the “penis whitening” craze in Thailand reached the Western world a […]
This Man Has Managed to Remain Anonymous on the Internet for the Past 25 Years
Jonathan Hirshon, a public relations professional, has managed the rather astonishing feat of staying completely anonymous online for the past 25 years. Although he is a pro at building publicity for his clients, he is dead-set against images of himself appearing online. This is no small feat in a world of social media where major […]
Distiller Makes Booze Out of Wine Spat Out by Strangers at a Tasting Event
An Australian distiller has taken the concept of recycling to a whole new level by taking the spat-out wine at a wine tasting conference and turning it into a spirit aptly named Kissing a Stranger. Peter Bignell, of Tasmanian Belgrove Distillery, was first struck by the idea at the Rootstock festival in Sydney, a gathering […]
Court Orders Dentist Son to Pay Mother $1 Million for Upbringing and Education
A Taiwanese dentist was recently ordered to pay $1 million to his mother in order to honor a contract that he had signed growing up, in which he agrees to pay 60 percent of his net profits until he can cover the cost of his upbringing and education. The mother, known only as “Luo”, had […]
New Zealanders Build Tiny Island to Circumvent Public Drinking Ban on New Year’s Eve
In order to avoid a liquor ban that was in effect during New Year’s celebrations, a group of resourceful New-Zealanders built their own tiny island in an estuary on the Coromandel peninsula. This allowed them to enjoy a few drinks in peace as they were technically in “international waters”, and not subject to the public […]