Oddity Central |
- Cat Breeders Discover New Breed of Felines That Look Like Werewolves
- Surfing the Freezing Waters of Lake Superior in the Dead of Winter
- Luxury Car Dealer Unveils $27,000 Aston Martin for Kids of 10 Years and Over
- Woman Who Has Never Eaten Solid Food Lives off Milk, Tea and Water
| Cat Breeders Discover New Breed of Felines That Look Like Werewolves Posted: 13 Feb 2014 03:00 AM PST Tennessee-based breeders have created a new breed of cat with a touch of the supernatural. The 'Lykoi' has the looks of a werewolf, but apparently behaves more like a dog. Due to a genetic mutation in a domestic shorthair cat, the Lykoi has no hair around its eyes, nose, ears and muzzle, giving it a werewolfish appearance. The name 'Lykoi' loosely translates as 'wolf cat' in Greek. It has patchy hair on the rest of its body and a 'hound dog personality'. According to the official website for the breed, "They like to hunt around the house for whatever they can find. They show caution to strangers but warm up quickly and become very friendly." "There was no human intervention to create the cat," said breeder Johnny Gobble. "The gene is a natural mutation that appeared in the domestic cat population. We are simply using the genetics of natural processes."
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| Surfing the Freezing Waters of Lake Superior in the Dead of Winter Posted: 13 Feb 2014 03:00 AM PST When you think of surfing, balmy beaches and warm summer days come to mind. But not for everyone. Take this one group of surfers from Minnesota who don't seem to mind diving into the freezing waters of Lake Superior in the dead of winter for a little hardcore action. This die-hard group of surfers have been spotted riding the waves of the Great Lakes, near Stony Point, during winter, literally emerging from the cold water with icicles hanging from their faces and thick wetsuits. The peak season for surfing at the lake is said to be between January and March and the surfers seem to love it even more if there's a winter storm, because that means stronger waves. The wind's long and powerful rush across the lake's surface that powers the tide can create waves that can go up to 10 – 12 foot high. There have been times when the wave action has reached 30-foot on Lake Superior, during the throes of a raging storm.
Photo: NOTL Surf Club Matt Nelson, a surfer from Two Harbors, Minnesota, said he only began winter surfing last spring and he's already loving it. According to Markus Barsch from Wisconsin, "It's warmer in the water." Burton Hathaway, from California, explains the apparent paradox: "Lake Superior is the deepest of the Great Lakes so it holds its heat longer into the winter."That also makes it the last lake to freeze over, which is nice because you can't surf on a frozen lake." Burton said that the day he went surfing, the water temperature was between 36 and 38 degrees (2 degrees Celsius), while the air temperature was minus 12 degrees (-24 degrees Celsius). But if you factor in the wind chill, it was like 50 degrees below zero (-45.5 degrees Celsius).
Photo: NOTL Surf Club The winter surfers generally prefer to wear 6mm black wetsuits with 7mm booties and 5mm gloves. They also need to apply copious amounts of Vaseline to avoid losing their face or nose to frostbite. The surfboards are different too – thicker and wider than those used in the ocean because freshwater isn't as dense as saltwater. Freshwater surfing, according to Burton, is a totally different experience. "You feel like you’re surfing in slow motion on some of these waves. You’ve gotta be in good condition, too, because as cold as you are, you’re actually better off being in the water, because it’s warmer."
Photo: NOTL Surf Club "The toughest part is changing out of your thick, cold wetsuit," said Burton. "You have to wait until all the ice melts off, which can take up to 30 minutes or you'll rip your wetsuit trying to get out of it. Some guys leave their cars running and heaters on full blast while they are out surfing."
In spite of some great surfing locations in California or the East Coast, Burton said he'd always prefer coming out to the Midwest. "It's always an adventure and we go on surf trips all over the Great Lakes. Stoney Point, Minnesota, a beautiful pointbreak that comes out of deep water on the north shore of Lake Superior – it’s a well-known spot that’s been in the magazines and is basically the Mecca of Great Lakes surfing."
Photo: Facebook "It's crazy. In the back of your mind you know you can die surfing in these very harsh and unforgiving conditions, but we live for surfing out here on the Great Lakes, and that is our passion."
Photo: Facebook
Photo: Facebook
Sources: Surf Transworld, Surfline |
| Luxury Car Dealer Unveils $27,000 Aston Martin for Kids of 10 Years and Over Posted: 13 Feb 2014 02:00 AM PST Aww, this has got to be the most adorable car in the world. The Aston Martin DB Junior is a fully functioning classic petrol-engine sports car for children aged 10 and over. Its design is inspired by 007's legendary Aston Martin DB5 of the 1960s. No machine guns or ejector seats included, though. So if you fancy seeing your little boy or girl drive a mini-size Bondmobile, all you need to do is bust US $27,000 on it. Guaranteed, it'll burn a rather large hole in your pocket, but the expression on your kid's face – priceless! Now for the specs: the DB Junior is a convertible, measuring 8 foot 2 inches long, 3 foot 4 inches wide, and 2 foot 5 inches high. It comes with composite coachwork, leather or vinyl seats, a wood-rimmed steering wheel and hydraulic Brembo disc brakes. A key-operated electric starter ignites the 110 cc four-stroke petrol engine linked to a semi-automatic 3-speed gearbox. The top speed is 46 mph – this can be restricted downwards.
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| Woman Who Has Never Eaten Solid Food Lives off Milk, Tea and Water Posted: 13 Feb 2014 01:00 AM PST Manju Dharra, a 25-year-old Indian woman, hasn't had a bite to eat since she was born. For the past two-and-a-half decades she has been surviving on a liquid diet consisting of milk, tea, buttermilk and water. Manju is from a small town called Sonipat, located near India's capital, New Delhi. She suffers from a rare condition called achalasia – a failure of smooth muscle fibers to relax. Because of this, the cardiac sphincter muscle (that closes the opening from the gullet to the stomach to prevent acid reflux) does not open at all. So food cannot pass into the stomach and the gullet is blocked. The result – violent vomiting if she ever tries to eat anything solid. "If I eat something then I throw up and I feel very, very bad. Now I feel fear when I look at solid food," said Manju. Her mother, Bhagwati Dharra, added: "She only takes fluids like milk, tea, water, and sometimes juice. Mostly she takes milk, tea, buttermilk, water. If she eats solid food, she faces the problem of vomiting suddenly."
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