Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Meet Baltazar, the Last Ice Merchant of Ecuador

Posted: 22 Jun 2015 07:35 AM PDT

While the rest of the world reaches into the freezer for ice, there's someone on this planet who actually climbs mountains to chop it off. Meet Baltazar Ushca, Ecuador's last hielero, or 'iceman'.

Ushca is the last surviving practitioner of his family's trade – passed on from father to son for centuries. At least once a week, the 68-year-old spends five hours hiking up Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest peak. He keeps going until he reaches the ice mine that has fed him and his family for generations.

Negotiating the steep 14,700-foot path is no joke, especially at Uscha's age. But he continues the family tradition of cutting ice from the cave and shaping it into blocks. He then transports the blocks, by mule, down to the nearest city of Riobamba, where they are sold.

Despite his age and his short stature (4ft 11in) Ushca can carry two 66-lb blocks of ice on his shoulders. And he's quite happy working on the mountain that he considers to be sacred. "This is a man's work," he said, proudly. "I am happy when I walk. Father Chimborazo looks after me."

Baltazar-ice-merchant

Advanced Artificial Leg Allows Amputees to Feel Sensations in Their Foot

Posted: 22 Jun 2015 05:52 AM PDT

Austrian scientists have invented a revolutionary product in the world of prosthetics – an artificial leg with lifelike sensations. The one-of-a-kind man-made limb has sensors fitted to the sole, which are able to stimulate nerves at the base of the amputee's stump.

"It feels like I have a foot again," said Wolfang Rangger, the very first recipient of the sensory-enhanced prosthesis. "I no longer slip on ice and I can tell whether I walk on gravel, concrete, sand, or grass. I can even feel small stones."

prosthetic-sensor

Man Chops in Half Everything He and His Girlfriend Owned after Breakup

Posted: 22 Jun 2015 05:11 AM PDT

We've seen people do strange things to cope with the pain of a breakup – like spending a week at KFC or inventing ridiculous uses for a wedding dress. But German eBay user 'der.juli' took post-breakup madness to the next level by literally cutting in half all the things he and his ex owned together.

It must have been a terrible breakup – what else could have prompted him to do destroy his TV, iPhone, laptop and even his car? We're not kidding, he actually sliced his green Opel Corsa and his Macbook Pro neatly down the middle! He's now selling the broken stuff on eBay, each priced at less than $2.

cut-in-half

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