Oddity Central |
- Thousands Flock to See Miraculous Frescoes of Macedonian Church
- Schoolgirl Falconer Solves Town’s Crow Problem
- Japan Inaugurates World’s First Hotel for Sheep
- Impressive Portrait Made with 750 Pairs of Socks
| Thousands Flock to See Miraculous Frescoes of Macedonian Church Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:40 AM PDT
The phenomenon is being hailed as a modern day miracle. But there are some who are just not buying into it. Whatever the reason may be, what's happening at the St Demetrius church in Skopje, Macedonia is very interesting. The gold halos around the paintings of saints on the walls of the five-century old church have miraculously turned brighter, overnight. The paint is reported to be noticeably sharper than it used to be before. Some reports suggest that the soot gathered over all these centuries is simply falling off, to reveal the original colors of the paintings beneath. The phenomenon first began with the image of the Virgin Mary and soon spread to the other works of art. The miracle of the Macedonian Church paintings is turning out to be quite a popular one. Several hundreds have gathered in long lines outside the church, hoping to get a glance. Even Archbishop Stefan of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski paid their visits. Father Dragi Trpeski says, "I've worked as a priest for 26 years but I have never witnessed a miracle like this." Several theories have been put forth, attempting to explain the event. According to local clergy, the famous warrior St Demetrius is unhappy about the recent drop in visits to the church. Apparently, the presence of nearby construction sites has blocked main entrances and resulted in fewer visitors. Head of the Commission for Religious Communities, Valentina Bozinovska, suggests, "This is a message that we must immediately return to moral values, family and children, to preserve ourselves from the decadence we are facing." Photo: Balkan Insight Those are pretty strong messages the paintings are trying to convey, if these theories are to be believed. Many waiting in line to see the miracle for themselves, are eager to witness God's message and blessings. However, not everyone sees the turn of events as a divine intervention. Some are considering the possibility of a hoax by the church's priests, but Nikola Mojsoski, an elderly citizen, says "I believe there is a reasonable scientific explanation. I do not wish to believe that priests would deliberately swindle people like this." The National Conservation Center is conducting investigations on a few samples from the frescoes to analyze the effect of atmospheric changes or humidity. This sure does seem like quite a curious turn of events. Who do you think is responsible? God, science, or a few midnight mischief makers? Photo: Balkan Insight
Video is in Russian, but it had the best quality via Balkan Insight Thousands Flock to See Miraculous Frescoes of Macedonian Church was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Schoolgirl Falconer Solves Town’s Crow Problem Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:04 AM PDT
Sometimes kids can solve problems that adults have no idea how to tackle. 17-year-old Misato Isibashi is a fine example of this. The third year student at Takeo High School, Takeo City, has come to be known as Japan's only 'schoolgirl falconer'. Takeo city is located in the Saga Prefecture, a place plagued by flocks of crows that attack farms and trash around office buildings, and cover everything in bird droppings. Powerless against this flying menace, the government of Saga has hired Misato to solve the problem. Misato and her 7-year-old pet falcon, Momotaro, form a dream team that has proven pretty effective in getting rid of the pesky crows. When Momotaro is released, the crows simply burst out of trees and fly away to hide elsewhere. And they don't come back for a long time afterward. A test flight was held on the evening of April 4th at the prefectural headquarters and it was confirmed the crows are quite frightened of the mighty male falcon. The crow menace or "bird strike" occurs in the area every 40 years or so. This time around it had gotten completely out of hand before the government decided to employ the services of Misato and Momotaro. Over 10,000 crows had taken shelter in the area surrounding the prefectural offices, congregating at trash bins, feasting on farmer's fruit trees and covering the streets with their droppings. Almost 66,000,000 yen (approximately $800,000) was spent in Saga alone on counter measures. But nothing worked until Misato the falconer arrived. She has now been offered employment, but the duration and frequency of work hours are yet to be decided. According to Misato, "The falcon is a divine punishment against crows. When their eyes meet the glare of the falcon, they will definitely not return." This is not the first time that Momotaro the falcon has come to the rescue. She was hired by her high school to get rid of several pigeons that were causing a ruckus at the school auditorium. Looks like Momotaro is a hero of sorts in Saga.
via Japan Probe Schoolgirl Falconer Solves Town’s Crow Problem was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Japan Inaugurates World’s First Hotel for Sheep Posted: 12 Apr 2012 02:45 AM PDT
Sheep are to the Japanese, what dogs are to the rest of the world – awesome pets. Owning sheep in Japan is considered quite fashionable and the latest luxury for the wealthy. Sheep are cute, cuddly, gentle and loving creatures, so who wouldn't want to keep them, right? Pictures of the rich and famous dressed in designer clothing and holding their sheep by a leash are really quite amusing. And the wealthy Japanese apparently take quite good care of their sheep, even when they're out of town. Hotel Sheep is a place where the Japanese leave their woolly pets behind whenever they are on vacation. Hotel Sheep Guest House was inaugurated last month, the first and only place in the world meant exclusively for sheep. No other animal is allowed inside. Not even rams, because hotel authorities feel that 'rams can be too harsh to accommodate'. And you would be surprised to know that at Hotel Sheep, the sheep aren't housed in regular barns, but in luxury rooms. Thirty such rooms are available and each of these is equipped with several amenities, including fine beds and television sets, in case they get lonely. Other services include a full-time trained maid service, and complete clean up. Japanese sheep sure are lucky. Located in Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Hotel Sheep Guest House is mainly aimed at fashion-conscious young rich people from the world of business, who have realized sheep are the pets of the moment. And since dog and cat hotels have been very popular in the Western world, the Japanese though they should open a similar venue for sheep.
Hotel Sheep via Weird Asia News Japan Inaugurates World’s First Hotel for Sheep was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Impressive Portrait Made with 750 Pairs of Socks Posted: 12 Apr 2012 01:33 AM PDT
Hong Yi, aka “Red”, has already achieved Internet fame for her amazing works, a portrait of Yao Ming created with a basketball, and one of singer Jay Chou made by spilling coffee, but she keeps producing mind-blowing masterpieces. Her latest project is a detailed portrait made with 750 pairs of socks. The beautiful Shanghai-based artist decided to pay tribute to Chinese film director Yimou Zhang by creating a large-scale monochromatic portrait of him with socks. She first got the idea for her unique work of art while strolling on a tiny alleyway in Shanghai. It was filled with clotheslines made of bamboo sticks with various clothing items hanging above her, and she remembers being surprised to find such a traditional side of life in a modern, bustling city like Shanghai. The unusual art medium is also a connection to Yimou Zhang who uses bamboo sticks in his period films, as well as in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony he directed. Wondering why Red chose to create her portrait with white, black and grey socks? Well, apparently she chose them because they are smaller and most cost effective than other garments. I’m sure that whatever she chooses to use for her next artistic endeavor, the result will be equally impressive.
Hong Yi’s website via My Modern Metropolis Impressive Portrait Made with 750 Pairs of Socks was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
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