Known as “La Isla de la Munecas”, by the Spanish, The Island of the Dolls is perhaps the creepiest tourist attraction in Mexico. Located within an extensive network of canals, south of Mexico City, the island is a place of mystery and superstition.
Almost every tree growing on the island is decorated with old, mutilated dolls that give anyone the feeling that they’re constantly being watched. The story behind the Island of the Dolls began when a hermit by the name of Don Julian Santana moved here. Although he was married he chose to live the last 50 years of his life alone.
Don Julian used to say he was haunted by the ghost of the little girl who had drowned in one of the canals around the island. Some say he used to fish the dolls from the water because he though they were real children, but the truth is he was collecting and placing them around his home as a shrine for the spirit that tormented him. At one point he even traded home grown fruit and vegetables for old dolls.
Ironically, in 2001 Don Julian Santana was found dead by his nephew, in the same canal that he said the little girl drowned in. Now his Island of the Dolls is one of the world’s weirdest tourist attractions. Some tourists who visited this place claim the dolls whisper and you must offer them a gift upon setting foot on the island, to appease their spirits.
Throughout modern history, Tattoos have been associated with Criminality. Over the centuries tattoos have been the indelible marks of royalty, of loyalty to a gang, of religious devotion and pledges of love. Among criminals, Tattoos can be used to show membership of gangs and record the wearer’s personal history – such as his or her skills, specialties, accomplishments and convictions. They are also used as means of personal expression. Of late certain designs have been developed to recognize coded meaning. The code systems can be quite complex and, because of the nature of what they encode, they are often not widely recognized.Bellow is list with no specific order:
Mara Salvatrucha Tattoos
Mara Salvatrucha a.k.a MS, Mara, and MS-13 is a criminal gang that began to operate in Los Angeles in the 1980s. The MS has spread across the United States and Central America with startling speed, boasting tens of thousands of members. They deal ruthlessly with competing gangs and any members who display disloyalty, often leaving a trail of dismembered corpses in their wake. They are poised to surpass the Mafia as the country’s most organized criminal network. And by operating within the insular Central American immigrant communities, the Mara Salvatrucha has been able to easily elude law enforcement agencies. Many Mara Salvatrucha members cover themselves in tatoos. Common markings include “MS”,”13″, “Salvatrucha”, the “Devil Horns”, the name of their clique.
The Russian Crimina Tattoos
Russian criminal tattoos have a complex system of symbols which can ‘read’ to give quite detailed information about the wearer. Not only do the symbols carry meaning but the area of the body on which they are placed may be meaningful too. The initiation tattoo of a new gang member is usually placed on the chest and may incorporate a rose. A rose on the chest is also used within the Russian Mafia. Tattoos done in a Russian prison have a distinct bluish color and usually appear somewhat blurred because of the lack of instruments to draw fine lines. In addition to voluntary tattooing, tattoos are used to stigmatize and punish individuals within the criminal society. ‘Grins’ may be placed on an individual who fails to pay debts in card games and often have very blatant sexual images, embarrassing the wearer.
Yakuza Tattoos
Extensive body tattoos (‘body suits’) are commonly worn by Yakuza members. These traditional tattoos are known as Irezumi in Japanese. Their size and elaborate nature show not only the wearers’ affiliation, but also his ability to endure pain. Instead of being used for ritual or status purposes, tattooed marks began to be placed on criminals as a punishment. Tattooing was legalized by the occupation forces in 1945, but has retained its image of criminality. For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the Yakuza and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centers and hot springs) still ban customers with tattoos.
Triads Tattoos
Traid is the western name given to a Chinese secret society (because of the importance of the triangle, representing the harmony of Earth, Heaven, and Man, in the initiation ceremonies). Triads take part in the full range of criminal activities that most other forms of organized crime gangs do, with a few extra as well. Tattoos have been proudly worn by members of the triads since Qing Dynasty times. The tattoos are often elaborate, covering much of the body, and feature Chinese characters mixed with mythical animals such as dragons and phoenixes.
Britain Mafia Tattoos
ACAB is an acronym often integrated into prison tattoos in the United Kingdom. It is most commonly rendered with one letter between the knuckle and first joint of each finger, sometimes as symbolic small dots with or without the accompanying letters. Also commonly presumed to be associated with the UK prison system (often incorrectly) are words on the knuckles, homemade tattoos (cotton, needle and indian ink) and similar. Many prison / jail related tattoo designs are now adopted by the youth culture as a means of identifying themselves as tough, mean, or to imply their willingness to go to jail for their crew or gang. ACAB can stand for All Coppers Are Bastards, or Always Carry A Bible, but most likely All Coppers Are Bastards depending on who is asking and whether the bearer is trying to make a good impression.
The girl who almost got injured after her iPod exploded
Ken Stanborough, 47, from Liverpool, had to drop his 11-year-old daughter Ellie's iPod Touch after he started hearing a hissing noise and felt it was getting hotter. After throwing the device out of his back door, within 30 seconds there was a pop, a big puff of smoke and it went 10 ft in the air. According to Mr Stanborough, Apple attempted to silence him and his daughter with a gagging order, offering a refund, only if he agreed to keep it quiet. A number of bloggers have reported cases where iPods have exploded — usually involving older versions of the digital music players.
The soldier who was saved from an AK-47 attack thanks to his iPod
Kevin Garrad (3rd Infantry Division) was on a street patrol in Iraq and as he rounded the corner of a building an armed (AK-47) insurgent came from the other side. The two of them were within just a few feet of each other when they opened fire. The insurgent was killed and Kevin was hit in the left chest where hisIPod was in his jacket pocket. It slowed the bullet down enough that it did not completely penetrate his body armor. The iPod in question was an older and thicker 20GB model, that had been previously manufactured and distributed by HP. The thickness of this model most likely served a big part in slowing down the bullet. Fortunately, Kevin suffered no wound.
Note: according to some sources the iPod did not actually save the soldier's life - it was in fact the vest he was wearing.
The man who found a one-year-old frozen iPod still alive
Andrew Robulack, a resident of Whitehorse, Yukon, found an iPod Classic emerging from a block of ice while he was taking a walk. At first, he mistook it with a piece of canine excrement, a common thing in Whitehorse this time of year, as he gladly informs us. But then he noticed that the unidentified frozen object had a familiar rectangular shape. Obviously, he got the frozeniPod out of the ice in which he thinks it had been laying “since early winter” and took it home to see whether it still worked. Incredibly, after only a few minutes of charging, the player booted up and seemed in full operating order. Of course, it needed some cleaning, but it even displayed the correct date. After the mud was wiped out, theiPod revealed that the only damages were a few scratches and some condensation under the screen; otherwise, it worked just fine.
The girl who survived a lightning strike after the wire of her iPod diverted 300,000 volts
A teenage girl survived a terrifying lightning strike after she was saved by the wire of her iPod.
Schoolgirl Sophie Frost and her boyfriend Mason Billington, both 14, stopped to shelter under a tree when a storm struck as they were walking near their homes. Doctors believe Sophie survived the 300,000-volt surge only because it travelled through the gadget's wire, diverting it away from her vital organs. The teenager was taken to hospital and is recovering from burns to her chest and legs while Mason suffered damage to his eyes. Sophie will be thankful she was wearing her iPod, which she had been given four days earlier as a gift from her grandmother. Sophie and Mason were knocked unconscious by the lightning bolt while holding hands and taking shelter in a field. Mason came round and carried Sophie, who was scorched and unconscious, to a nearby road where he flagged down a female motorist who took the couple to Southend hospital. Sophie suffered burns to her body and legs, some temporary damage to her eyes and a perforated eardrum.
The pair who was arrested for trying to trade iPod Touch and Marijuana for iPad on Craigslist
Police arrested two men in Arizona for attempting to trade a third generation iPod touch and about seven grams worth of marijuana for a 32G iPad via an ad on Craigslist. After receiving a tip about the ad, which included photos of both theiPod touch and marijuana, police officers sent an e-mail purporting to be interested in the exchange. When the police met up under the pretense of completing the trade, 20-year-old Jacob Walker and Jacob Veldare were instead arrested when Walker offered up the marijuana. Both now face charges for possession and the attempted sale of an illegal substance.Not only were the two unwise enough to post pictures of marijuana on Craiglist, but they were also gullible enough to believe that anyone would trade a 32G iPad, which costs $599, for a $299 32GiPod touch and a quarter ounce of marijuana of dubious quality.
The teacher who got his neck broken by two students after he confiscated their iPod
Two students accused of attacking a teacher in a hallway of Germantown High School are now behind bars. The attack happened after 60-year-old Frank Burd confiscated aniPod from one of the students who was using it in class. The 14-year-old returned later with an 11th grader.
The teens allegedly pushed Burd, who struck his head on a locker. Schools CEO Paul Vallas said Burd broke his neck in two places. He was taken to Einstein Medical Center, but showed no sign of paralysis. The confrontation was caught on videotape. School officials were able to use the tape to immediately identify the students. 17-year-old Donte Boykin was taken to Northwest Detectives in handcuffs shortly after arresting the 14-year-old. Burd, a popular math and photography teacher, was sent to Einstein Medical Center for recovery.
The Tokyo subway train that was delayed because of an iPod fire
In August 2010, an unidentified, malfunctioning iPod brought a Tokyo subway train to a halt for several minutes during rush hour in western Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, 17 km (10.5 miles) from the capital's centre. Passengers started complaining about a burning smell, forcing the train to come to a halt while officials went searching for the source. A female passenger then came forward to show that heriPod had burst apart after overheating. The train was delayed for 8 minutes while the stench cleared. For the busy train line, which serves over 1 million commuters daily, that's an extremely rare delay -- the average delay for a train is a scant 20 seconds for some Japanese railways. Apple has described the problem as rare, and attributable to a single battery supplier.
The sub navigator who caused a £60m ship crash because he got distracted with iPod
The navigator of a US nuclear submarine was listening to his iPod when it collided with another ship, causing £60m damage. Crew on board of the attacked sub USS Hartford had also rigged up loudspeakers so they could listen to music on duty. Captain Commander Ryan Brookhart was relieved of his duties after the investigation revealed nearly '30 tactical and watchstander errors' which led to the ‘avoidable accident'. The navigator was also revealed to have been revising for an exam at the time of the collision. Fifteen sailors on board the USS Hartford were injured when it rammed into the transport ship USS New Orleans in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage in the Persian Gulf in March 2009. The US Navy report slammed the Hartford's ‘ineffective and negligent command leadership' and its ‘informal atmosphere'. The damaged sub will cost £57m in repairs, while the USS New Orleans, which ‘bears no fault' needs £1.5m.
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The world's longest traffic jam was 110 miles (176 kilometers) long, between Paris and Lyon on the French Autoroute in 1980.
A 60-mile-long traffic jam on a major Beijing highway has lasted more than nine days, with stranded drivers taking to playing chess on their cars as local vendors organize roadside shops like in a Cortázar short story. What's causing this potentially month-long jam? In short, increased traffic on the highway mixed with maintenance and construction. Britain's Sky News reported the snarls have been commonplace since May as a result of a spike in the number of trucks using the roads, with the daily peak reaching about 17,000. In this specific case, cars and trucks have been piling up since August 14, 2010 on the National Expressway 100, which is also known as the G110, the major route from Beijing to Zhangjiakou.
Another picture of Sao Paulo, at the intersection of Faria Lima and Juscelino Kubischek Avenue.
Gridlock resulting from vehicles and pedestrians "blocking the box" at the intersection of 1st Avenue and 57th Street in New York City.
Traffic congestion caused by people fleeing from Houston, Texas, due to Hurricane Rita in 2005. Evacuees used Interstate 45 which was/is an official evacuation route.
Car and Motorcycle jam in Taipei.
Vehicles are stuck in a traffic jam caused by a demonstration held by flood-affected people demanding that the government provide aid to flood victims in Nowshera, Pakistan.
Traffic jam caused by the celebration of the Diwali in North India.
Patna witnessed unprecedented traffic jam in December 1, 2009, following protest rallies taken out by different organizations in support of their demands. Throughout the day, traffic chaos ruled all the roads giving a tough time for commuters.
A traffic jam in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In June 2009, Sao Paulo set a new record for bad traffic, 295km of traffic jam accumulated throughout the entire city, meaning over 35% of the city's roads.
Frozen Traffic Jam in Moscow.
Moscow also has different reasons for traffic jams. One of them is frosty severe winter. Transportation roads cannot work well because of black ice. The other problem is high quantity of life and, as aresult, possession of many vehicles. And apparently, some streets must be reconstructed and broadened.
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World's Most Crowded Wave Pool (Tokyo Summerland, Japan)
Don't believe the photo above? This incredibly crowded wave pool is located in Tokyo Summerland. During the summer, it can get really hard to actually find some water inside the pool.
World's Most Crowded Prison (Kresty Prison, St. Petersburg, Russia)
Russia's prisons have a reputation for being the most overcrowded on Earth, especially Kresty Prison in St. Petersburg. The official capacity is set at 3,000, but the actual population is always at least 10,000. Each prisoner is also said to only be allowed 4 square meters of space each and 15 minutes a week (a week!) to shower. In summer 2006 Vladimir Putin announced that the prison would be relocated to a new facility in the Kolpinsky District on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg. After the relocation is complete the Kresty building will be sold at auction. It is anticipated that the prison building will be transferred into a hotel-entertainment complex.
World's Most Crowded Street (Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan)
With 2.5 million people a day, there's no doubt Tokyo's Shibuya is the busiest intersection in the world. No matter what time you go, the crossing is always busy. During the day, in the middle of night, at dusk – the amount of people is always consistent. It must be quite exciting when the green light goes on and you see the thousands moving in your direction.
Europe's Most Crowded Country (England)
The number of people living in England has overtaken the population density of Holland, which has traditionally been the most densely-populated major nation on the continent. The count, which has been attributed to higher levels of immigration, shows England has 395 people per square kilometre. China is still the most crowded country in the world.
World's Most Crowded Area (Mongkok, China)
According to Guinness World Records, the Mongkok area has the highest population density of anywhere on Earth, with an estimated 130,000 people per square kilometer. Mongkok is a commercial/residential area located in central Kowloon. The Chinese characters for Mongkok (“旺角”) mean “busy corner” and this too is no exaggeration.
World's Most Crowded Beach (Qingdao Huiquan Beach, China)
Reputed to be the largest sandy beach in Asia, the number one bathing beach is situated on Huiquan Bay in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Also called Huiquan Bathing Beach, this beach is noted for its clear water, mild waves and soft sand. Even in winter this place is crowded with keen swimmers.
World's Most Crowded Subway Station (Moscow, Russia)
This image was taken in a typical day in a Moscow's city subway. Not every station is like this but there are some narrow places so when the peak traffic happens people have to move like that.
World's Most Crowded Train (India)
A lot of people assume that Japan has the world's most crowded trains. Apparently that's not the case. On an episode of a Japanese TV show, “Itte Q,” a reporter was sent to India so she could experience what may be the “world's most crowded train”. They wanted to see if she could read a newspaper on the train, but it proved to be extremely difficult.
World's Most Crowded Football Stadium (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Open-air stadium Maracanã, officially known as the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup. During the last game of this cup, in a match that would be later known as the Maracanazo, a world record of attendance was set in a football game: the official number of viewers was 199,854, with the actual attendance estimated to be about 210,000.
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Ronnie Coleman: eight straight wins as Mr. Olympia
Born May 13, 1964 in Bastrop, Louisiana, Coleman is a retired American professional bodybuilder who shares the record of eight straight wins as Mr. Olympia. He also holds the record for most wins as an IFBB professional with 26 wins. Coleman graduated Cum Laude from Grambling State University with a degree in accounting.
Lou Ferrigno: the Incredible Hulk
Known for being long time bodybuilding rival of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the original Hulk on the TV show, Lou Ferrigno was also a deputy sheriff. After graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1969, Ferrigno won his first major titles, IFBB Mr. America and Mr. Universe, four years later. In 1974, he came in second on his first attempt at the Mr. Olympia competition. He then came third the following year, and his attempt to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger was the subject of the 1975 documentary Pumping Iron. Following this, Ferrigno left the competition circuit for many years, and went for his acting career.
Johnnie O. Jackson: notable powerlifter
As you can see, Johnnie O. Jackson may not be the biggest bodybuilder around, but the thickness and density of his muscles are mind blowing. They pop out and he isn't even flexing them. Just sitting relaxed. He won the 2006 Montreal Pro, 2001 NPC USA Championships, among others.
Markus Rühl: some of the biggest shoulders in history
Well known for his freakish size, german Markus Rühl is a former IFBB professional bodybuilder. He possesses some of the biggest shoulders in bodybuilding history, and is one of the strongest bodybuilders alive along with Johnnie O. Jackson and Ronnie Coleman.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: youngest Mr. Universe at age 20, then won Mr. Olympia seven times
Before becoming a famous actor and a controversial politician, Schwarzenegger was considered to be one of the greatest and most influential names in the field of body building to this day. Schwarzenegger began weight-training at 15 and became the youngest Mr. Universe at age 20 and going on to win Mr. Olympia a total of seven times. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent face in thebodybuilding sport long after his retirement, and has written several books and numerous articles on the sport.
Gregg Valentino: World's Biggest Biceps
Gregg Valentino is one of the most controversial yet popular bodybuilding icons. He started bodybuilding at the age of 13. After over 23 years of training naturally Gregg decided to experiment with steroids. During this time his arms grew from an impressive 100% natural 21" to an in-human 28". But after years of steroids injections, his body finally fought back: his bicep "exploded," as the video below explains:
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Al illusion have always fascinated mankind since they were first discovered, raising important questions about the way our brain works. The following optical illusions will definitely test your imagination and observational skills to the max so test yourself to see how you perform.
Despite of many years of research the human brain still has a lot of mysteries that are yet to be uncovered. The way our brain perceives reality is a subject that was debated for a long time and the answers are still pretty vague. Although it might be tempting to believe that what we see and what our minds perceives is identical some of the following optical illusions might make us change our mind. A first example is the default picture where it might seem that there are two triangles but in fact only one triangle was drawn. This illusion is known as the Kanizsa Triangle. Here are some other intriguing optical illusions:
Fraser Spiral Illusion
This famous illusion is known as the twisted cord or false spiral illusion. The contrasts in this picture give the impression of a spiral however, this ''spiral'' is actually a simple series of concentric circles that has the power to trick our brain due to the contrasts formed.
The moving image illusion
Sometimes the contrasting colors and the placement of a certain elements can trick our brain into thinking that some images are moving when in fact they are static. This is exactly the case with the following image.
Cafe wall
Another classical optical illusion is the cafe wall, which was first discovered by doctor Richard Gregory. In this illusion although the lines appear to be bent they are actually perfectly straight and actually parallel. Just take a closer look at the picture and you'll immediately see this.
The Hermann Grind
This illusion first discovered in 1870 is characterized by the “ghostlike” intermittent appearance of lightly colored gray dots that seem to connect the white surfaces and the black background. However, once we take a closer look the dots “magically” disappear. This illusion can be explained by a dissonance that takes place in the receptive field of the brain.
Pictographic ambiguity
Nowadays there are a multitude of illusions based on this concept. Photographic ambiguity tests your imagination as well as your observational skills by placing different images that can be perceived by looking from different angles. Can you spot both the young lady and the older one?
Having trouble figuring this one out? here's a little clue to make things easier: the chin of the young lady actually forms the nose of the old lady.
If this one seemed way too obvious for you here's something a little more challenging that will really test your observational skills. Can you find the hidden tiger in this picture?
This painting is might seem like nothing more than a wonderful landscape painting but the this apparently ordinary nature representation holds many secrets that cannot be uncovered at a superficial glance.
In fact the picture has a multitude of hidden portraits all over if you just know how to look. While most people claim that there are 13 faces some claim they have found over 21! How many can you spot?