Oddity Central

Oddity Central

The Shark Whisperer – Young Conservationist Dances with Great White Sharks

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 04:01 AM PST

Most people wouldn’t dream of going anywhere near a Great White Shark, and yet shark conservationist Ocean Ramsey has no problem swimming with the deadly predators and even hitching a ride with them, in her efforts to prove they’re not the monsters films like Jaws made them out to be.

27-year-old Ocean Ramsey got the nickname “shark whisperer” after photos and video of her petting 17-foot sharks went viral. The world is just discovering this brave young girl and her honorable cause, but Ocean has been traveling the globe swimming with many species of sharks to convince people they are not just mindless killing machines, for years. So far, she has come face to face with 32 species of sharks, including some of the most dangerous like Great Whites, tiger sharks and bull sharks. “I feel so fortunate that some of the greatest moments of my life have been diving with Great White sharks,” the blonde beauty said. ”It’s sad to think that the human race could be responsible for the extinction of such vital and beautiful animals.” She hopes her incredible experiences will grab the attention of the public and raise awareness to the plight of these fascinating creatures. A new study revealed that around 100 million sharks are killed every year, a rate 30 to 60 percent than sustainable. It’s estimated only a few thousands of Great White Sharks are left in the world’s oceans.

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Photo: Juan Oliphant

“It’s difficult to express the incredible joy and breathtaking emotion experienced locking eyes with a great white shark. Watching the shark acknowledge and observe me, while I peacefully and calmly allowed it to swim towards me, and then experiencing it accepting my touch, allowing me to dorsal and tail ride,” Ocean said after her close encounter with a Great White, in the waters of Baja, Mexico, last year. Her friend, Juan Oliphant managed to take some photos and make a recording of the extraordinary encounter, which have recently gone viral online, capturing the imagination of millions around the world. “Once I was on the dorsal or tail I could hear the movement of the water flying past my ears and I realized we were probably moving two knots,”Ramsey remembers. “The connection felt as I repeatedly pet and hitched a ride on several of these sharks reminded me of my experience with horses.”

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Photo: Juan Oliphant

Growing up in Hawaii and San Diego, Ocean Ramsey spent a lot of her time in the water, surrounded by marine wildlife. She is an experienced free diver and can hold her breath for an impressive five minutes and forty five seconds, which apparently is more than enough to get acquainted to some of the world’s most feared creatures. ”There is an instinctive fear, knowing what the animals are capable of, but it’s hard to describe what it’s like to be in the presence of such a magnificent animal,” she said

Ocean is convinced that movies like Jaws have manipulated a lot of people into perceiving sharks as monsters, and that the media continues to do that with inaccurate news reports. She hopes her experiences will change people minds, as “just showing these animals swimming around not biting or eating anything, as they are probably 99 percent of the time, isn’t enough to convince people.” At the same time, the brave 27-year-old points out that she’s not “advising that people go out and just jump in to the water with great whites, just as I wouldn’t recommend jumping into a yard with a strange dog. Sharks do need to be respected as wild animals and appreciated for their role as top predators in the ocean ecosystem.”

Visit Water Inspired for more.

The Electrifying Painting Performances of David Garibaldi and His CMYKs

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 02:46 AM PST

David Garibaldi is a successful performing artist who combines his passion for painting, dance and music in truly inspiring performances. Holding a paintbrush in each of his hands, he strokes the canvas as he dances to modern tunes, creating incredibly detailed portraits of pop icons.

Born in Los Angeles to entrepreneur parents, David Garibaldi moved to Sacramento when he was just four years old, for his dad’s business. Ever since he was very little, David had a strong sense of creativity, and although they didn’t share his passion for the arts, his family always encouraged him. He started by drawing cartoon characters, then moved on to encyclopedias, comic books and anything else kids his age were into back then. Then, during middle school, he started getting into hip-hop, so his friends suggested he use his artistic talents to do graffiti. It helped him develop his own style and explore all kinds of new design elements, but all those late nights he spent leaving his artistic mark on the walls and trains of Scaramento really affected his education. By the time he realized he was neglecting school, it was too late, and he couldn’t graduate with the rest of his class. It’s one of his biggest regrets, but also one of the things that motivated him to become the great artist he is today.

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Right after high-school, David moved out and started working at video stores, Abercromie & Fitch, and just about anywhere else he would get hired, in order to make ends meet. It was during this period that he discovered his love for dancing. He would spend his days working and practice dance moves during the night. It helped him physically express himself even better and ended up defining his style of painting. “The figures I would draw at the time would look like how I was moving on stage as I was dancing,” he once said in an interview. “The faces they were making expressed the feelings that I felt while I was dancing. So, the whole period of dance really helped me define who I was.” So now he was drawing, dancing and had a passion for music. But what he didn’t have was a plan. It was only after he got fired from his job as a phone banker, and got his car repossessed that he decided to try and make a living with his art. David decided to teach himself how to turn his drawings into paintings. He then discovered the performance art of Denny Dent, and although he has never actually met the legendary performance artist, Garbaldi admits his works greatly influenced his career.

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After mastering the art of painting, he decided to give it his own personal twist, by combining his three great passions into one amazing performance. Although he has been practicing his art for the last 9 years, David Garibaldi had the chance to show the world just how talented he really is on America’s Got Talent, where he wowed audiences with his explosive painting style. With the help of four “minions”, called the CMYKs (like the 4 color printing process), David used his brushes and fingers to add paint strokes to a canvas in order to create colored portraits of icons like Mick Jagger or Albert Einstein, while dancing and communicating with the audience. What made his speed painting performances so special was the fact that no one really knew what he was painting until the very last moment. It wasn’t just America who discovered his immense talent, but the whole world, and these days he and his CMYKs are entertaining audiences all around the globe.

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"I create images in an entertaining way and my hope is to inspire the audience to use their passion to benefit and inspire others," Garibaldi says. "That is music and color. That is rhythm and hue." At the young age of 29, David Garibaldi is an established artist, who, among other achievements, managed to raise over $1,000,000 for nonprofits and charities across the country through his art. The photos of his paintings just don’t do him justice, so make sure you watch some of the videos I posted, as that’s where the magic happens.

 

Photos @ David Garibaldi

Twi-line – A Phone Line for Twilight Fans Struggling to Cope with the Series’ End

Posted: 07 Mar 2013 12:26 AM PST

One of the biggest film franchises ever made, the Twilight Saga came to an end with the launch of Breaking Dawn – Part 2. It was a celebrated moment by fans of the series, but now that all the hype is gone, many of them are struggling to accept the fact that their favorite blood-suckers won’t be returning to the silver screen. Luckily, now they have Twi-line, a special phone line that helps them relive their favorite Twilight moments.

It must be tough coming to terms with the fact that vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen will never show his pale face again in a Twilight film, although considering the state of the film industry today, a spin-off isn’t out of the question. For now though, the series is officially over, and apparently that’s really painful for a lot of fans. To celebrate the UK launch of the Breaking Dawn – Part 2 DVD, and to comfort Twi-hards, the film’s distributor has set up a special phone line where they can listen to memorable quotes from their favorite characters over and over again. I don’t get what the big deal is, when they could just replay scenes from the movie and also see their heroes speaking those lines, but it seems many fans actually love the idea of hearing vampire Edward, werewolf Jacob Black and their love interest Isabella Swan over the phone.

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Photo: Twilight Saga – Official UK Page

“We know it hurts. We feel your pain.The Twilight Saga is complete. Though the story doesn’t have to end. Relive every moment with the ‘Twilight Twi-line’ – the brand new telephone line created especially for you, the fans.Visit the tab now to find out all the details you need to know. Share in the memories…forever.” This was the announcement of Twi-line posted on Facebook, and while some were expecting something more for the launch of the final DVD, most commenters seemed genuinely excited, with Twilight fans from the US and other countries asking for similar services.

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Photo: Ambrohexal

Although the distributor announcement clearly states “share in the memories…forever”, the Sunday Express claims Twi-line is only available for the next two weeks. The number is 03300 225 775, and standard landline rates apply. Talk about an original way to milk this series even more, right?

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