Children at Uruti School took part in a best-dressed possum competition as part of a fundraising drive. The events centred on animals that are pests across New Zealand: while the adults went out hunting pigs, the children dressed dead possums.

The results are stunningly beautiful. Possums were dressed as sunbathers, hospital patients, babies, brides, an artist ... Congratulations to the prizewinners Hannah Harrison (up to 6 years), Lydia Hansen (6-9 years) and Levi Oxenham (10-14 years).

The school has only 14 pupils.

Source: Daily Mail, 2 August 2012

Imported goblin makes 'extreme demands'

Clever Kamuyedza, a Chitungwiza businessman, acquired a money-spinning goblin from a neighbouring country to help his transport business. However, the goblin started 'to make extreme demands', so Kamuyedza called in Speakmore Mandere, known as Sekuru Shumba, and a team of traditional healers to rid him of the creature.

After three days of consultation about whether the healers could conduct the appropriate ritual, Kamuyedza brought the goblin to Sekuru Shumba's lodgings. Sekuru Shumba beheaded the goblin, and Mr Kamuyedza told his wife to fetch the agreed fee of $15,000 from the car.

At that point Sekuru shouted that the goblin was fighting back. Clara Banda, one of the healers, said there was 'a loud sound coming from the bedroom. The walls of the house were crumbling'. A blast destroyed the house, killing five people including Sekuru and Kamuyedza.

Source: Newsdze Zimbabwe, 27 January 2013

Poison Tips

Food that one cannot eat together include prawns and vitamin C, which will cause arsenic poisoning; cold remedy and Coke, which will cause poisoning; eggs and saccharin; tofu and honey, which will cause deafness; kelp and coagulated pig blood, which will cause constipation; potatoes and banana, which will cause freckles; beef and brown sugar, which will lead to abdominal distention; dog meat and eels, which will lead to death; mutton and mud snails, which will lead to retention of food; celery and rabbit meat, which will lead to alopecia; tomatoes and green beans, which will undermine vigor; and goose meat and pear, which will injure one's kidney.

Source: Global Times, 17 December 2012

Aswang

Ethiopian spider

An American mercenary, an old African hand, once told me that in Ethiopia there is a spider that eats only living flesh. It's called the camel spider and is equipped with a prong on its back that emits a local anaesthetic. He told me that at night the camel spider descends while you sleep, gives you a shot, and eats your lips. I slept with my hand over my mouth.

Source: Donald R Katz, "Ethiopia After the Revolution: Vultures Return to the Land of Sheba",  Rolling Stone, 21 September 1978

Prophesying newborns

On Friday, word spread that shortly after a woman delivered twins at the Tirupur Government Hospital, one of the babies died and the surviving baby mysteriously spoke, warning that  an evil spell has been cast due to which several infants would die. After delivering the "message of death", the baby too died. Within no time some people performed special pooja and started breaking coconuts smeared with turmeric outside their homes to ward off evil.
[...] By evening many junctions in the town were filled with broken coconut shells. Incidentally most of these coconuts were broken at junctions where three roads meet, which parents believed was the "entry gate" for Satan.

Source: IBN Live, 27 August 2012

Melting money

Canada's new polymer $50 and $100 dollar notes melt in intense heat. There have been reports of wads of notes melting together when left inside hot cars, or in metal tins.

 

 

Source: The Star, 12 July 2012