Oddity Central

Oddity Central

This Is How They Harden Kindergarten Children in Siberia

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:46 AM PST

The kids at the No. 317 kindergarten in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia are making themselves immune to flu viruses and winter colds by walking outside naked at temperatures as low as -15 degrees Celsius and pouring buckets of freezing cold water over their bodies.

Ever since photos and videos of the extreme hardening process were exposed in the media, the Siberian kindergarten has come under fire from parents worried about the children’s well-being. But caretakers like Margarita Filimonova insist the practice is totally safe, as the children are only allowed to go outside in the freezing weather after three years of slow training and medical testing. It might seem extreme, but the staff insist the practice makes the children fitter and improves their health significantly. Kindergarten No. 317 has been hardening its children for the last 13 years, and some of the kids who went here went on to become Olympic champions in various sports. It’s the only institution of its kind in the region which uses this kind of extreme exercises.

Photo: Anatoly Belonogov / SmartNews

To prepare the children for the freezing weather outside, the staff at the Krasnoyarsk kindergarten pour cold water over them in the shower. The temperature of the water gradually drops to about -20 degrees, and only then the kids are allowed outside. Wearing only their underwear they walk barefooted in the snowy courtyard and pour buckets of freezing water over their little bodies. The procedure lasts only a few seconds, after which it’s off to the hot sauna. After they get warmed up, it’s time for another outing and another bucket of cold water, which releases clouds of steam, leaving passers-by baffled. All this takes place at 7:30 in the morning, right before breakfast, as the cold improves the kids appetite.

Photo: Anatoly Belonogov / SmartNews

Not all the parents let their kids take part in this hardening exercise, but the 70% of the children who attend the No. 317 kindergarten love their morning ritual, and ask to go outside in the freezing cold. One of the parents interviewed by SmartNews said her daughter hasn’t gotten sick once in the last two years, so she’s delighted by the results of the extreme practice.

 

This Is How They Harden Kindergarten Children in Siberia was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Pink Lip Tattoos – The Latest in Nigerian Men’s Fashion

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:01 AM PST

One of the most bizarre beauty procedure I’ve recently come across is tattooing the lips pink, which is apparently very popular in the African county of Nigeria. The main reason for this practice seems to be that women find men with pink lips more attractive.

The other day, someone emailed me a link to a video of a Nigerian guy getting his lower lip tattooed pink, in what looks like a very unhygienic tattoo parlor. To be honest, I thought it was just an isolated case, a guy who just wanted to be different, like the girl who tattooed Drake’s name on her forehead. But it got me intrigued, and after doing some research online, it seems this really is a trend among Nigerian men. According to Battabox.com, who documented the procedure in the short video, young men pay around 7,000 Nigerian Naira ($45) to have their black lips cleaned of excess skin and tattooed with a pink paint to make them lighter. Although the guy in the video didn’t show any signs of pain, having a sensitive spot like the lips tattooed can’t be very pleasant.

Apparently, having pink lips is a coveted aesthetic feature in Nigeria, and tattooing is the most common way to achieve it. The results are permanent, but according to Nigerian Best Forum, it has a number of downsides. First, there’s the pain associated with the process, then the possibility of skin irritation, as well as a prolonged stinging sensation and inflammation of the lips. If not properly done, you can even grow keloids. And considering the tattoo artist in the video isn’t even wearing rubber gloves, I’d say the risk of infection is petty high. But, people have done stranger things in the name of beauty…

 

But there are less extreme ways of making black lips pink. Just removing the dirt particles, oil and dead skin cells that accumulate on the lips throughout the day and washing them with rosewater can make a big difference, and if that doesn’t work, a mix of almond oil and lemon juice is said to make the lips smoother and redder.

Pink Lip Tattoos – The Latest in Nigerian Men’s Fashion was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Japanese Company Offers Valentine’s Day Insurance for the Lonely

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 12:50 AM PST

Valentine’s Day, the most romantic celebration of the year, is fast approaching, and while some people can’t wait to declare their love and shower their partners with gifts, flowers and chocolate, for others it’s just a day of painful loneliness. However, Japanese bachelors no longer have to worry about being the only ones at the office who never gets anything on Valentine’s, thanks to a new service called Valentine’s Day Insurance.

So how does this service work, you ask? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. All a person has to do is visit the Valentine’s Day Insurance website, purchase the ¥500 ($5.50) policy and provide an address where their Valentine’s gift should be delivered. Once they’ve done this, they’re guaranteed to receive a package on February 14, containing chocolates and a personal message from a self-professed beautiful woman called Rieko. I know what you’re thinking, having to buy your own Valentine’s Day present is pretty lame, but for some Japanese men it’s a lot better than having to cope with the uneasiness of being the only ones who didn’t get anything. Well, them and every woman in the Land of the Rising Sun, because here only men receive presents from women, usually in the form of chocolate. In fact, so much chocolate is purchased for the occasion that some Japanese chocolate companies record half of their annual sales in the few weeks before Valentine’s Day.

According to RocketNews24, the Valentine’s Day insurance service provides the policyholder with a pleasant experience, although I should think it actually makes people feel worse knowing they had to pay for their gift and a fictional woman’s generic message. And what happens if you’re not the only one in the office who used the service? I mean, more than two guys  getting chocolates from Rieko can seem a bit suspicious.

Japanese Company Offers Valentine’s Day Insurance for the Lonely was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

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