3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Japanese Artist Invents New Way of Peeling Tangerines
Swiss Woman Tries to Survive on Light Alone, Starves to Death
Los Santos Malandros – The Thug Saints of Venezuela
Grieving Father Invents Device to Talk to His Dead Daughter
Coolest Finds of the Week #37

Japanese Artist Invents New Way of Peeling Tangerines

Posted: 30 Apr 2012 07:38 AM PDT

Yoshihiro Okada has become a popular country in his native country of Japan, after he developed an ingenious way of peeling tangerines, six years ago. It might sound like an arid subject, but the Japanese author has already published two books on peeling tangerines, and even launched a DVD version.

If you’ve been throwing away orange and tangerine peels all this time, then you’ve been missing out on a very fun way to make figurines for your little ones. Using a lot of imagination and a sharp blade, Yoshihiro Okada has been creating detailed figurines out of citrus fruits. It all started six years ago, when he noticed the peel he had removed from a tangerine looked a little like a scorpion. Most everyone else would have probably smiled and moved on with their lives, but not Yoshihiro. He spent the next two weeks buying loads of tangerines and practicing his peeling technique until he got his scorpion just right.

tangerine peeling1 Japanese Artist Invents New Way of Peeling Tangerines

The fruit peel artist didn’t rest on his laurels, he kept practicing, and he is now able to create over 80 different animals from a single tangerine peel, ranging from monkeys to rabbits and horses. ”It’s like origami that uses a single sheet of paper to produce an elaborate design,” he said. “It’s part of the essence of Japanese culture, and my form of art is being accepted in the same way.” In fact, his new technique is so popular in Japan, his two books have sold in over 100,000 copies, which is not bad considering we’re talking about peeling fruits. He’s also been featured on over 60 television shows.

After conquering the Land of the Rising Sun with his peeling art, Yoshihiro Okada has his sights set for America. Asked if he thinks Americans will appreciate his work, he artist who claims his peeling technique was “very difficult to invent” said ”yes, I think so, because it’s very interesting and so unique.” I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

via WOWT

Japanese Artist Invents New Way of Peeling Tangerines was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Swiss Woman Tries to Survive on Light Alone, Starves to Death

Posted: 30 Apr 2012 06:08 AM PDT

Growing up in India, I've heard several stories of yogis who would eat nothing, surviving on only sunlight. We never really tested out the theory, assuming it was only the stuff of legends. But a Swiss woman apparently did try it, and the results were not good. She ended up starving herself to death. Looks like she found out the hard way that sunlight isn't really food unless you're a plant.

The woman's real name is unknown, but news reports refer to her as Anna Gut. She was in her early fifties when she first heard about the concept of living off sunlight in the documentary film "In the Beginning There was Light". The two men portrayed in the film – anthroposophist Michael Werner, 62, and Indian yogi Prahlad Jani, 83, claimed they made use of spiritual practices and sunlight for their sustenance, rather than food. Inspired by the concept of 'breatharianism', Anna read a book on the same subject written by Australian Ellen Greve. She then began to follow the instructions provided by the book.

sunlight Swiss Woman Tries to Survive on Light Alone, Starves to Death

Photo: WTL photos

According to the instructions of the first stage, which Anna followed perfectly, she did not eat or drink anything for a week. She even spat out her saliva. The next two weeks saw her taking in liquids, but no solid food. At this point she was visibly weakened and this got her children very worried. But Anna promised them she would stop her experiment if her condition became too bad. Then one day, last winter, she wouldn't answer any of her phone calls. When her door was broken down, she was found dead inside her home. The autopsy showed pretty clearly that she had died of starvation.

sunlight2 Swiss Woman Tries to Survive on Light Alone, Starves to Death

Surprisingly, Anna Gut is the first Swiss, but not the first person in the world to die from living on 'pranic nourishment'. Several doctors are of the opinion that breatharianism is nothing short of suicidal. According to Dr. Dee Dawson, a British specialist in eating disorders, "These people must have some sort of psychological problems, I would say, to be doing this. They know perfectly well that you starve if you don't eat." Supporters of light or pranic nourishment disagree, however. They feel that the only way people could die from the practice is out of sheer negligence. While it is scientifically established that the body needs energy and hydration from food and drink to survive, according to mystics light carries its own nourishment and nutrients. Several of these mystics point out to the countless gurus who have sat for several years under trees without consuming a morsel.

In the western world, Therese Neumann is known to have stayed without food for two whole weeks while being observed by doctors, without any weight loss or dehydration during the period. Also, the patron saint of Switzerland, Nikolas vod der Flue, is known to have lived for 19 years without food or drink. All these examples however, are insufficient to convince doctors and scientists, and I suppose Anna's case does prove their point further. As for me, well, even if I could live off sunlight I don't think I'd be able to resist some chocolate cake!

Prahlad Jani Swiss Woman Tries to Survive on Light Alone, Starves to Death

Two years ago, we posted an article on Prahlad Jani, an old Indian yogi who claimed he could survive on air alone. He was tested in a medical facility and physicians couldn’t figure how his body functioned without any food or water.

via The Local

Swiss Woman Tries to Survive on Light Alone, Starves to Death was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Los Santos Malandros – The Thug Saints of Venezuela

Posted: 30 Apr 2012 05:48 AM PDT

An idol of a man dressed in blue jeans, orange shirt, green baseball cap and a gun stuck in his belt is hardly something you'd expect to see at a place of worship. But it's pretty common in Venezuela, the country with the highest murder rates in the world. Religious cults worship thugs and criminals who are long dead and gone. Even though the most widespread religion in Venezuela is Christianity, the worship of local thugs is so strong that it cannot be overlooked. The people who participate in such cult worship are more often than not, from the poorest sections of society.

With an average murder rate of about 14,000 a year, Venezuela isn't exactly the safest place in the world. In such a scenario, I suppose it would be easiest for the people to relate to a God with whom they can connect, as compared to the Christian saints. And that is what makes the Maria Lionza cult so popular. According to this alternate religion, the dead co-exist with the living and they can be accessed through a few people who act as a medium.

thug saints venezuela1 Los Santos Malandros The Thug Saints of Venezuela

Photo: VICE

The practice of worshipping thugs doesn't have its origins too far back in history. According to Professor Daisy Barreto, anthropologist and cult expert, the Santos Malandros (Holy Thugs) became prominent in the city of Caracas in 1989. This was when the streets of the city were torn down by rioting for three days – the Caracazo. "The Maria Lionza cult, unlike Catholicism, is not static and constantly incorporates new saints who reflect the country's situation," says Prof Barreto. "The mediums started receiving these thug-like figures to reflect the wave of crime that the country has experienced after the Caracazo."

thug saints venezuela2 Los Santos Malandros The Thug Saints of Venezuela

Photo: Ronald Rivas C

The most popular of the Santos Malandros is Ismael. There are countless versions of who he is and how he lived, but it is widely accepted and understood that Ismael does more than just understand his devotees. He is said to reflect the hopes and fears of the Venezuelans, knowing what they live and how they suffer. He is accepted as a good and honorable thug, a sort of Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. It is also believed that he was killed by a bad cop; he was shot in the back sometime in the 50s or 60s. And so Ismael has come back to seek redemption by helping those in need. By doing this he will be at peace, and attain the justice that he was denied.

The requests and prayers that are received by the spiritual priests of the cult can be quite varied. Santiago Rondon, one of the priests, said, "In one day I can receive a mother who wants Ismael to turn her child away from drugs or crime and a boy who wants Ismael to find him a gun." While praying for 'evil' things like somebody's death or revenge is discouraged, there are plenty who do just that. Ismael is just one of the deities at the shrine of the Santos Malandros. Some of the others are Malandro Pelon ("The Baldy"), Isabelita, Freddy ("The Turkey"), "The Mouse" and "Crude Oil". The method of worship is pretty bizarre too. Some people bring flowers, and others bring drugs as offerings. But the most popular offerings for Ismael are cigarettes, which he liked the best. They actually place burning cigarettes in between the lips of an Ismael figurine.

According to another priest, the people need a symbol of spirituality, something they can believe in, something they can relate too. And that is exactly what the Santos Malandros stand for.

via VICE

Los Santos Malandros – The Thug Saints of Venezuela was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Grieving Father Invents Device to Talk to His Dead Daughter

Posted: 30 Apr 2012 05:25 AM PDT

Any parent grieving the death of their child would go to any lengths to hear the child's voice one last time. But how many of them would actually invent a device for it? Electrical Engineer Gary Galka from Connecticut did just that.

After his 17-year-old daughter Melissa died in 2004 in a car accident, Gary says she began to communicate with the family within days. The doorbell would ring, TV channels would change and lights would turn on and off on their own. That's when Gary realized that his dead daughter had something to tell them. He created a device to help her, and is now the owner of a thriving business in paranormal detection devices. Over the years, he has sold thousands of such devices, ranging between $79 and $350 in price. Gary has invented over 30 different products that are meant exclusively for paranormal research.

ghost hunting device2 Grieving Father Invents Device to Talk to His Dead Daughter

The Galka family was recently featured on a Travel Channel TV Program called "Ghost Adventures". On the show, the Galkas claim to have made contact with their dead daughter, and to have seen her as well. They insist Melissa is indeed present around them and the instruments he invented are proof of it. One of the devices plays out a voice saying, "Hi Daddy, I love you." Also, according to Gary, "when she was sitting on the bed I felt her lay her head on my chest." He says he has never seen Melissa, but his younger daughter Heather has, three times. It has been reported that other members of the family and even people who aren't related have seen the girl at the house.

57-year-old Gary was raised a Catholic and believes in God and afterlife. A third of the profits from the sale of paranormal detection devices is donated to bereavement groups such as The Cove Center for Grieving Children in Wallingford. "I feel compelled to help other bereaved parents. To show these parents that they can live beyond the grief and be comforted knowing their child is in a good place," says Gary. Paranormal researchers, however, have a different story to tell. According to one of them, Joe Nickell, "They're surprised that they're getting results in an old house, when in fact there are all sorts of non-ghost sources such as faulty wiring, nearby microwave towers, sunspot activity, and so on." Meanwhile, Gary hopes that his family's experiences and his devices will help people who don't believe in afterlife to "take a better position."

via Courant

Grieving Father Invents Device to Talk to His Dead Daughter was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Coolest Finds of the Week #37

Posted: 30 Apr 2012 01:07 AM PDT