Oddity Central |
- Masako Mizutani – Japan’s Lady of Eternal Youth
- Ramos, the World’s Most Annoying Alarm Clock
- The Ultimate Chinese Fake – A Fake Police Academy
| Masako Mizutani – Japan’s Lady of Eternal Youth Posted: 13 Apr 2012 07:37 AM PDT
With the extensive use of Photoshop and other editing software, it's extremely difficult to tell the difference between real and fake these days. But if the photographs of this Japanese model are to be believed, then she couldn't be a day over 20. Believe it or not, Masako Mizutani's real age is 43, and she's a mother of two. Her age-defying looks have become a sensation in Japan, especially on TV. She's being called 'Japan's Lady of Eternal Youth'. Now, I've always felt that Asians, especially the Japanese, have beautiful skin that doesn't seem to age very much. Even so, Masako clearly stands out from the rest of her countrymen. In the pictures, her skin looks unbelievably soft, supple and practically flawless. During her TV appearances last month, Masako revealed a few of her beauty secrets to the world. She supposedly spends five hours a day just taking care of her skin. Her tips include: drinking plenty of water to flush out toxins, eating a fresh, healthy and balanced diet, using vitamin E based creams, sunscreen, cleansing, toning, moisturizing, plenty of sleep and no smoking. Well, to tell you the truth, these tips are generic beauty advice that's being dished out ever since I can remember. Unless she has some other secrets, they seem to be doing wonders in her case.
A few people have started to wonder about the authenticity of Masako's online photographs. They say that there's a marked difference (of at least 10 years) between her TV self and internet self. Photoshop, much? Well, there's no real way to tell. Even so, Masako does look pretty youthful on TV. There's also a saying that Asian women look great and youthful until menopause – which is when they seem to age almost instantly, overnight. But for now, Masako certainly does seem to be the Lady of Eternal Youth. Maybe we'll just wait and watch how the 'eternal' part develops.
Some of you may say she doesn’t look that good for her age, but it’s important to note that Masako also has a 20 year old daughter. I think that is important to consider because it’s a known fact that raising kids takes its toll on the body. Still this Japanese housewife could pass as her daughter’s sister any day.
But Masako Mizutani isn’t the only woman to cause Internet controversy over her youthful appearance. A while back, we featured the story of Annette Larkin, a 70-year-old woman who doesn’t look a day over 40. Like Masako, she drinks a lot of water (rain water, to be precise) and also follows a vegan diet.
Photos via Facebook Sources: Red Flava, Rocketnews24 Masako Mizutani – Japan’s Lady of Eternal Youth was originally posted at OddityCentral.com |
| Ramos, the World’s Most Annoying Alarm Clock Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:41 AM PDT
Have trouble getting out of bed early in the morning? Is the snooze button the most used (and abused) part of your alarm clock? Would you like to be able to wake up as soon as the alarm goes off? If you've answered 'yes' to any or all of these questions, then Ramos is the best gadget for you. The most annoying alarm clock in the world will make sure you get out of bed every single. morning at the right time. It is impossible to ignore Ramos, and there's no way you can go back to sleep. Let's see what makes it so special. For starters, the makers of Ramos have done away with the ‘unlimited’ snooze button. Unplugging it won't work either, because a battery takes over as soon as you yank out the cord. The 'lockdown mode' ensures that you won't be able to reset the alarm as wake-up time approaches. So that effectively takes care of manipulating the alarm. But then it gets worse. Once the Ramos alarm clock starts to ring, there's no button on it to turn the infernal thing off. The only way to stop the noise is by punching a defuse code into a telephone-style keypad that is installed in another room. You have no choice but to get out of bed and punch in the code, which requires some degree of brain functionality, so you will be awake by the time you are done with Ramos.
Well, it isn't really as cruel as it sounds. Snoozes are allowed but only a particular, predetermined number. Or, you could use the courtesy mode, where the alarm goes off for 10 seconds and then gives you a full 1 minute to wake up. After the minute is up however, it gets going again, and the only way to stop it is to input the security code.
Ramos is the creation of Paul Summit, a 25-year-old engineer from Hoboken, NY, working at Stevens Institute of Technology. Paul himself had trouble waking up early, so he built this clock in an attempt to solve it. He's used it successfully for an entire year, waking up exactly when he was supposed to. In Feb 2012 he began sharing his invention with the world through Kickstarter. In around a month-and-a-half, over 400 orders for Ramos were placed. The product is expected to be shipped in September this year. You can choose between three variations – LED Ramos ($200), Nixie Ramos ($350) and Ramos Custom ($800). It's a good thing the clocks are expensive, considering the only way to turn them off without getting out of bed is to smash them. Ramos, the World’s Most Annoying Alarm Clock was originally posted at OddityCentral.com |
| The Ultimate Chinese Fake – A Fake Police Academy Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:20 AM PDT
'Fake' just keeps growing to epic proportions in China. The latest to join the bandwagon is a fake police academy that was allegedly duping students into believing they would receive a real degree. The Jiamusi People's Police Academy in the Shandong Province offered three-year courses on law enforcement studies, at the end of which students would receive a degree and also employment with crime-fighting police teams. The £2,000 ($3,200) course was supposed to be taught by veteran officers. It was all the doing of Wei Zhenhai, the president of the fake academy. Everything was going according to plan for Mr. Zhenhai and the Jiamusi Academy, until a suspicious parent tipped off the real police in September of last year. A couple of police constables then paid a visit to the academy undercover, dressed as students. During the interview, Mr. Zhenhai couldn't help himself and ended up boasting about his contacts in high places that would help him secure employment for his students. The constables saw through his flimsy lies and immediately pounced on the 'president' and his staff. They were arrested and the academy closed down.
Further investigations revealed that Mr. Zhenhai was previously a failed instant-noodle entrepreneur who spent 3 years in prison for blackmail. He also worked as an admissions director at a real school. Subsequently, he spent all his life savings ($32,000) on setting up the mock police academy business. He actually forged a commissioning letter from the real Jiamusi Academy in Heilongjiang province, stating that they had given permission for the opening of a branch in Shandong. Mr. Zhenhai had also begun shopping online for uniforms and equipment. It's lucky that his fake act was busted before he could do any real damage to the careers of several students. via The Telegraph The Ultimate Chinese Fake – A Fake Police Academy was originally posted at OddityCentral.com |
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