Oddity Central

Oddity Central

‘Giraffe Woman’ Wants to Extend Her Neck by Encasing It in Copper Rings

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 04:03 AM PDT

28-year-old Sydney V. Smith's goal in life is to become a 'giraffe woman'. For the past three years, the Los Angeles resident has been trying to extend her neck by wearing no less than 11 copper rings around it. The idea stemmed from her lifelong fascination with body modification, especially the tribal women of Thailand and Burma who encase their necks in rings at an early age.

"I've always had a long neck," said Sydney. "In middle school, they called me 'giraffe girl'. Then I saw pictures of the long-necked tribes in Thailand and Burma in National Geographic and I became fascinated with them." That's when she began to cut up coat hangers and wrap them around her neck at bed time. Naturally, her parents thought the idea was ridiculous. But she persisted, and she believes that her night-time ritual actually helped elongate her neck.

"After a few years, it became obvious that my neck was longer than the other girls, but not freakishly," said Sydney. "So I stopped for a while to consider if being a long-necked woman was what I really wanted." But soon, it became clear to her that she was quite attached to the rings. "I had missed the comfort from the pressure on the top of my neck and shoulders and had been thinking about doing it again for a while. The comfort and exhilaration of this process was really what I was after."

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Get Ready for Palcohol, the Powdered Alcohol You Can Sprinkle in Drinks and on Food

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 02:58 AM PDT

Palcohol – powdered alcohol – is a new American product that can be sprinkled on all sorts of dishes and drinks. According to the company's website, Palcohol is the brainchild of Mark Phillips, a physically active guy who was tired of lugging heavy bottles of alcohol during his adventures. So he decided to create instant alcohol – just open the sachet, add some water and get a strong drink to enjoy whenever and wherever he wanted.

Initially, Mark did search for powdered alcohol on the market, but it wasn't available. So he got together with scientists from around the world and spent years in experiments, research and consultation. Finally, he succeeded in making powdered alcohol a reality, and called it Palcohol. "Now Palcohol is here," declared the website. "A great convenience for a person on the go. One package weighs about an ounce and is small enough to fit into any pocket." The product is now privately owned by a company called Lipsmark.

The company does insist that Palcohol is not just for sportspersons. "Palcohol can be transported in your luggage without the fear of bottles breaking. In any situation where weight and breakage is an issue, Palcohol provides the answer. That's why we say: 'Take your Pal wherever you go!'" The product's promotional material also stated: "What's worse than going to a concert, sporting event, etc. and having to pay $10, $15, $20 for a mixed drink with tax and tip. Take Palcohol into the venue and enjoy a mixed drink for a fraction of the cost." Such claims were taken off the site after news of the invention went viral

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India’s Controversial Baby Farms and the Poor Women Renting Their Wombs to Wealthy Foreigners

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 01:38 AM PDT

Paying a woman to carry a child is illegal in Australia, the UK, and several other countries. Even where it is allowed, it costs and arm and a leg. And that's why commercial surrogacy is a thriving business in India. Infertile couples all over the world are now looking to Indian women to help them have their babies. Indian surrogacy clinics provide an economical alternative for childless couples and in return, the money that these surrogate mothers from poor backgrounds receive is helping them build their life. It's a win-win situation really, if you choose to look at it that way.

Akanksha Infertility Clinic, located in the small town of Anand in Gujarat State, is one of the top places for commercial surrogacy in India. A surrogacy package here costs about $30,000, from which about $8,000 is given to the surrogate. Given that over one-third of the Indian population is extremely poor, there are plenty of women more than willing to bear children for others. The clinic has been in operation for the past 10 years, and over 700 surrogate babies have been delivered there so far. All the money earned from these treatments has hugely impacted the economic situation of the town and its surrounding areas.

30-year-old Neeta Makwara, who lives in the nearby village of Nadiad, has gone through surrogacy twice. In 2008, she gave birth to a baby boy for a foreign couple. And she had twins again in 2011. The first time around, her husband squandered all the money from the treatment. But Neeta was wiser the second time – she used the money to build a three-storey house. She's even rented out the ground floor, so that earns her a bit of cash every month.

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