Oddity Central

Oddity Central

The Amazing Story of the Suicidal Man Who Became India’s Famous Monkey Climber

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:12 AM PDT

Several years ago, young Jyothi Raj was a depressed man – he chose a rock and decided to climb it before plunging to his death. The huge rock presented a dilemma – there was no easy route to reach the top. But Jyothi Raj managed to scale it anyway, by observing and emulating the monkeys around him. And when he got to the top, he was rewarded with cheers and claps from passers-by who had observed his feat. He didn’t want to die anymore. Instead, he became India's most famous monkey climber.

"A monkey is the world's best climber. Humans came from monkeys. But I have it backwards. I'm turning into a monkey from being a human," Jyothi said with a smile.

Jyothi Raj's story is a rather sad one – he was born to a poor family in the state of Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Fearing punishment at the age of seven, he ran away from home to Bagalkot, in the nearby state of Karnataka, which he made his new home. "I don't remember how I ended up here," he said.

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Father Takes Sons Obsessed with Violent Video Game to Real War Zones to Put Them Off Guns

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 02:47 AM PDT

A Swedish journalist decided to teach his two young sons – who were obsessed with war-based video games – what real war is all about. So he took them to visit Israel and Syria to show them the harsh realities that exist in war-torn regions, and make them realise what guns are really used for. The trip lasted 10 days, and when the boys got back, they were completely transformed.

The idea for the trip came at the dinner table one night last year, when Leo, 11, and Frank, 10 begged their father Carl-Magnus Helgegren to buy them the latest Call of Duty game. He was quite concerned with their obsession for the popular shooter – he wondered if his boys actually realized the real effect that war has on its victims.

So Helgegren devised a brilliant plan to impart a much needed lesson. He cut a deal with his sons – if they agreed to travel with him to an area plagued by war and spend time with war victims, he would buy them any video game of their choice on their return.

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Guy Crosses from Mexico to US Dressed as Osama bin Laden to Prove Border Fence Is a Joke

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 01:03 AM PDT

American investigative journalist and activist, James O'Keefe, recently made headlines for donning an Osama bin Laden costume. Halloween is still months away, but O'Keefe's attire had a different purpose – he was attempting to illustrate the lack of security along the U.S.-Mexico border in West Texas. He was actually able to cross the Rio Grande River from Mexico into Texas undetected, dressed as Osama.

O'Keefe, who is well-known for his headline-grabbing sting videos that often involve disguise and trickery, also recorded himself in the act of crossing the border. He released the footage on Monday, calling it 'Project Veritas'. In the video, he can be seen crossing into Mexico twice – once in regular clothes and the second time dressed in an army costume and an Osama Halloween mask. His video release arrived amidst a national debate in America about border security.

"Project Veritas has just returned from the U.S.-Mexican border," the video description states. "What we discovered there should worry every American. Here in West Texas, the border is just a muddy sliver of river." And then the video goes on to show O'Keefe splashing his way through the Rio Grande to the other side, effectively entering another country.

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