Oddity Central

Oddity Central

StopXam – Russia’s Parking Vigilantes Make Bad Drivers Follow the Rules One Way or Another

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 06:11 AM PDT

StopXam is a vigilante group that is actively involved in fighting against the rude and entitled driving culture in Eastern Europe. Their goal is to stop bad driving with politeness, which forms the basis of the name StopXam (meaning 'stop rudeness'). While the non-profit organisation originated in Moscow in 2010, several branches have emerged in neighboring countries such as Moldova.

With their unique approach towards eliminating illegal parking and dangerous driving, StopXam has managed to become an internet sensation. Their technique is simple: they first approach offending drivers and try explaining things politely. For instance, they might say: "Hello, your car is standing too close and does not allow this car to move. Please park somewhere else."

Some drivers get the message quickly and correct themselves. But those who don't get a giant sticker that covers up almost half their windshield. "We will give you a sticker on your front window, and it will be very uncomfortable for you to drive with it," they warn. If the driver still doesn't budge, they go ahead and paste the sticker, which reads: 'I don't care about other people, I park where I want'.

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Male Actor Transforms Himself into Female Celebrities Using Makeup and Wigs

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 05:44 AM PDT

31-year-old actor and TV host Paolo Ballesteros specialises in transforming himself into female celebrities from around the world – including Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts and more. Believe it or not, there's no Photoshop involved; Paolo uses only wigs, makeup, and colored contact lenses to complete the stunning transformations.

Paolo is the host of a popular TV show in the Philippines called Eat Bulaga. His transformations actually started as a segment on the show Super Sereyna, where he would surprise audiences with his mind blowing makeup skills. Paolo revealed that he is self-taught – he learned to apply makeup by watching YouTube tutorials, and he does it all by himself.

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This Man Is on a Mission to Have Coffee at Every Starbucks in the World

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 05:08 AM PDT

Winter, a 42-year-old coffee fanatic from Houston, Texas, is on a mission to have coffee at every Starbucks coffee-shop in the world. Given that Starbucks operates on almost every corner of every street of every city in America, not to mention thousands of shops around the world, Winter seems to have set himself an impossible goal. Yet, he's already been to 11,676 Starbucks branches, and he won't rest until he's been to each and every one in the world – that's at least 10,000 more to go.

Born Rafael Lozano, he legally changed his name to 'Winter' because he didn't want his credit history confused with his father's. Over the years, Winter, a computer programmer, has spent over $160,000 on Starbucks coffee and on traveling to cafes across 38 different countries – including shops in London, New York, Paris, Egypt, Kuwait, Turkey, Japan, and Lebanon. That's about 25 percent of his earnings and three months of travel a year on coffee runs.

He's a self-proclaimed caffeine addict, who at one point, used to guzzle 29 cups of coffee a day. Interestingly, he actually prefers artisanal coffee from independent stores, but he appreciates that Starbucks tastes the same everywhere. His first visit was in 1997, and he almost immediately decided that he had to go see all the branches in the world. "It was a completely random idea that came to me when I was in Plano, Texas while discussing the growth of Starbucks in the greater Dallas area," he said.

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