“When Zurich police published a photo of their mass of equipment laid out next to their patrol car on September 1 [2019] they had no idea that they were starting a viral challenge that would spread around the continent.
But for the past two weeks, police, ambulance and fire services have taken up what is being called the ‘Tetris Challenge’, highlighting the huge amount of equipment that they need to do their jobs – and how it fits into their often relatively small vehicles.”
DIAGRAM OF THE ELEPHANT’S HEAD
A. Wheels for the eyes.
B. Wheels for the trunk.
C. Cord for drawing trunk inward.
D. Cord for drawing trunk outward.
E. Leather thongs for operating wheels.
F. Hook from which head is suspended.
[Full story here.]
Tarrare, a historical figure from late 18th century France, gained notoriety for his unending appetite and peculiar eating habits. He grappled with a rare medical disorder called polyphagia, which compelled him to incessantly hunger for and consume copious amounts of food, including non-edible items. Tarrare garnered public attention by devouring objects like corks, stones, and even live animals, once astonishing onlookers by devouring an entire basket of apples in rapid succession. Despite his astounding consumption abilities, his health rapidly declined, plagued by numerous complications stemming from his condition. The life of Tarrare remains an intriguing medical enigma, leaving numerous questions unanswered regarding the underlying nature and causes of his singular condition.
From ATI:
And the strangest part of all this was that he always looked as though he were starving. The young man barely weighed 100 pounds and he seemed constantly tired and distracted. He was showing every possible sign of undernourishment – except, of course, that he was eating enough to feed a small barracks.
[Top image and first caption found here. Other images found around the internest and may or may not be Tarrare.]
Posted on Facebook by Eric Lind of Eureka, Illinois on 13 October 2022.
Current situation at my parents house…..the young neighborhood owl has stolen this stick horse and is flying around the neighborhood with it. Hilldale/Forest Park/Ridge lane neighbors…if your child is missing their stick horse, you’ll have to talk to the owl!!
Edit: for those of you questioning if the owl is hurt or “entangled” in the stick horse….we have no reason to believe this is the case as we witnessed the owl moving the horse around and even changing it’s grip on it at one point….this owl is part of a family of owls that have been in the neighborhood for about 6 months now, and this is one of the young owls…if someone sees that the owl is in danger or believes it is hurt, I’m sure the proper authorities would be contacted…
The story was picked up by the UK Daily Mirror [h/t Serafina D.].
Some Chinese news outlets credited the unexpected popularity of belly button stickers to Chinese traditional medicine, which states that the lower abdomen must be kept warm to preserve the overall health of the body. By keeping the fake navel exposed, users can wear high-waisted pants that cover much of the stomach, while still rocking garments like crop-tops.
ONLY 1/2¢ PER BB!
A pack of 96 3/4″ x 1″ Chinese belly button decals for only 50 cents is one helluva deal. Confuse people by moving them around, or wear several at the same time and claim as many birthdays as you want. So many possibilities.
[Images and story found here.]
Bruce St. and Ritson Rd., Oshowa, Ontario. The track was removed sometime in the 1990s.
[Found here, location found here, bottom image via Google Maps.]
[See Part 1 for more. Source: Allen & Ginter Cigarette Cards 1888-1889]
[Source: Allen & Ginter Cigarette Cards 1888-1889]
Silent film actress Alberta Vaughn was featured in a surrealist artwork by Persian artist Jon S. Oshanna (1895-1980) circa 1924. Oshanna was a muralist and commercial artist, active in California.
[Found here.]
Nutrias are bigass swamp rats and Mr. Petre was likely a fur trader in the 1970s before the rodent was classified as an invasive species in the U.S. Besides being environmentally destructive, nutrias are such prolific breeders that they outstripped the demand tor their fur, the nutria fur trade business collapsed, trapping and killing stopped… then their populations exploded.
Tacky Raccoons 