There are so many bizarre people on earth that it is actually possibly to lose count. They do strange things or have a lot of weirdness happening to them which sort of explains why they are considered to be such bizarre people anyway. Most of the times it is actually difficult to explain why such strange phenomena happens to them and at other times it is just a biological factor which pretty much explains why they are bizarre. A lot of such people usually become part of the Guinness book of records or other such records. So take a look at the ten most bizarre people and take a pick on what you think is the strangest:

1. Ngoc

The first most bizarre person on the list is a man named Ngoc. So what’s strange about him? Well, he hasn’t slept for almost thirty years. Insomnia is obviously the cause but what is strange is that he can function as good as a lot of other people. So he can even do a lot of farm work. Although he did require a fair bit of medical supervision because well not sleeping for three decades can amount to a lot of problems in all senses of the term.

2. Cathie Jung

Weird people often ensure that they have peculiar attributes which make them well quite offbeat. Often they land up on several record winning competitions and fairly so. It is likely that they work quite hard for that position. That is definitely true of our second most bizarre person named Cathie Jung who is credited to have the smallest waist. How small you ask? Well, all of fifteen inches! Pictures of her have us wondering, is Victoria Beckham trying to outdo her in having the smallest waist size? Quite likely it seems!

Photo by bella_the_phoenix

3. Mehran Karimi Nasseri

Still wondering how weird people can get? Our next contender on the list is a man who has been living in the airport since 1988. Now that sure is quite bizarre, to say the least. An Iranian refugee called Mehran Karimi Nasseri has set up his permanent home in Charles de Gaulle airport. Interestingly, the movie Terminal is based entirely on his story because he was being forced to live there for an indeterminate period of time because his papers weren’t in order. He has well established himself in the departure area of the airport and is reported to speak very little.

Photo by en.wikipedia.org

4. Lal Bihari

Alive but reputed to be dead? Now that is exactly the stuff that horror movies are made of. Can you actually imagine something as bizarre as that happening to a real life person? Well then take a look at the case of a man named Lal Bihari who was born in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Surprisingly enough when he filed for a loan he realized that he had been declared dead by the government of India long ago. Conspiracy on the part of an evil uncle was involved and the poor man had to actually fight legal battles to prove he is alive. Now how bizarre does that sound?

Photo by ArtistOnline

5. Timothy Dumouchel

Appearances, biological factors… there can be different sides to being extremely bizarre. Now in America it is very easy to move to court, everyone can sue others for a lawsuit. One of the most bizarre people ever has to be a man named Timothy Dumouchel. He actually went ahead and sued a television company for making his wife become fat. His argument against the company was that surfing channels, sitting about in the couch for long had made her gain weight. So how to deal with the situation? Sue the television company!

6. Nakamatsu

Talk about enthusiasm? That is exactly what our Japanese photographer Nakamatsu has. Over thirty four years he has decided to take pictures of the food he eats and then set it all down to strict analysis. Since he wants to live over a hundred years, he has decided to take upon this extremely challenging endeavor to ensure that his food is really well analyzed. All we can say to this is “bizarre”!

Photo by ArtistOnline

7. Kansas

The wolf girl is quite the enigma. She was seen near Kansas in the year 1970 and since then there have been several assumptions on whether she was actually raised and taken care of by wolves. A lot of people claim that this is possibly a hoax and we will never possibly know the truth but this definitely earns her a place in the most bizarre people to have inhabited the earth, if at all!

Photo by ngiley.com

8. Lotito

The person who could eat it all- almost everyone by now is familiar with the case of the Hungarian born Lotito. He has been on the record books several times and fairly so. The man can devour rubber, metal, anything inedible and still the man survives. He has not just eaten cycles and cars but even an entire aircraft! Despite it all he has not fallen grievously ill because of his rather bizarre diet. This can be attributed to the fact that his intestine lining of the stomach is built to resist any kind of poisoning against such types of food.

Photo by pixie85

9. Shoichi Yokoi

We have all heard about how intensely the World War 2 has had an effect on people. It seems that in the case of Yokoi the effect just went one step further and spiraled into something extremely bizarre. So this man decided to hide it out in the caves of Guam even though the war had ended almost twenty eight years ago. Unlike some of our other bizarre people this just does not inspire much laughter but makes us ponder how far the evils of war has reached?

Photo by grimboard

10. Matayoshi Mitsuo

So in Japan all the bizarre things seem to be happening and a person named Mitsuo. Now he claims to be the descendant of Jesus Christ and claims that his teachings will bring about new world order.

Photo by Leondra Lai

So with all these bizarre people around one is sure to feel quite normal at the end of the day not mention sane!

Mount Everest is an enigma to most of us. The tallest peak in the world, situated in the Himalayas, standing at a majestic height of 8,848 metres above sea level has been a source of fascination and excitement for all adventure lovers and mountaineers from all parts of the world. Most mountaineers have a secret dream- the desire to scale Mount Everest.

Even now the thought of embarking upon an Everest expedition excites each and every mountaineer. The enigma of Everest probably lies in the name itself- Everest, the tallest of the peaks of the Majestic Himalayas, the peak everyone desires to scale and to experience the magnificent feeling of being on top of the world. For a child, the first time he learns about Mount Everest, it becomes a secret desire to scale it one day. Not everyone grows up to be a mountain climber for it indeed is a very dangerous profession.

Mount Everest was formed like most mountain peaks are formed- by volcanic or tectonic activity. All mountains were formed as a result of violent changes on the surface of the Earth, which had occurred millions of years ago. People often might think of mountains as unchanging and everlasting. But geologists who study mountains have conclusively proven that mountains are constantly changing and are not everlasting.

In spite of the constant change in nature, Mount Everest has maintained its supremacy among the mountain peaks of the world. It is still the tallest peak in the world and despite the many successful Everest expeditions; it remains an enigma and is shrouded in mystery. There are many hidden secrets of Mount Everest that even the most experienced mountain climber is not aware of. There are certain slopes of Everest which cannot be scaled even with a great deal of difficulty. But in spite of all the danger, a number of brave mountain climbers have risked their lives and limbs to scale Mount Everest. A number of lives have been lost in the process. But that does not daunt the fearless mountaineers who continue to go on Everest expeditions.

A number of expeditions to scale Mount Everest have been made over the years. Here we are going to document five of the most successful expeditions to scale Mount Everest. These expeditions are considered as the benchmarks of the Everest expeditions, and for all mountaineers who attempt to climb Mount Everest, these expeditions are a source of inspiration, and provide the necessary courage to go ahead with the expedition. So now we begin with the five most successful Everest expeditions of all time.

The Mallory Expedition, Year 1924

George Mallory was a British mountain climber and avid adventurer who had undertaken an expedition to Mount Everest in the year 1922. The expedition was ill-fated as several porters or sherpas had been killed in a mishap, in an avalanche. But Mallory hadn’t given up and had embarked upon a second expedition to Everest in the year 1924, exactly two years later when he reached the Everest base camp and set out to scale the mountain peak. And thus began one of the most famous and ill-fated expeditions ever in the history of Everest expeditions.

Photo by wjis21

On the 8th of June, 1924 the ill-fated Mallory expedition began. After a lot of accidents and mishaps, Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine parted company from the rest of the members of the expedition and went on forward against all odds. They were sighted on the Second Step from a distance, by Noel Odell, a member of their expedition. The Second Step, as all mountaineers will know, is only a few hours from the summit. But Mallory and Irvine never returned, so it was never known whether they had actually climbed Mount Everest or not. George Mallory’s body was found in 1999, but Irvine’s body was never found.

The First Successful Ascent of Everest, Year 1953

We all know the story of Sir Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay who were the first people to ascend Mount Everest. They were part of a British expedition that had set out to conquer the heights of Everest. Sherpa Tenzing and Sir Hillary, on 29th May 1953 became the first men to climb to the top of the Everest.

Photo by en.wikipedia.org

The First Solo Ascent, Year 1980

In the year 1978, the famous Italian mountain climber Reinhold Messner (along with his climbing partner, Peter Habeler) climbed to the top of Mount Everest without using bottled oxygen, a feat that was considered impossible. Two years later he made another record by climbing Everest alone.

Photo by TARIQ HAMEED SULEMANI

The Everest Disaster, Year 1996

In the year 1996, more than 30 climbers set out together from the Everest base camp to scale Everest. Although they managed to reach the summit, most of them died in a blizzard due to cold exposure.

Photo by Magicwerks

The Fastest Ascent Ever, Year 2004

The Fastest ascent of Everest was made by sherpa Pemba Dorjie in 2004.He completed the feat in just eight hours and ten minutes.

Photo by 350.org

Micronations? Are you wondering what that is? After micro-finance and micro-economics, what is a micronation of all things? It is exactly what the name sounds a like, a micro nation, which means that it is a tiny country all by it’s own. A micronation is a country which was started out by a small group of people and can at best be described as a home made country! Home made countries are usually formed under very strange circumstances and these include a joke, a project and sometimes even as a form of protest against the establishment. However, then again there are many micronations which have been formed as a project to cheat people or to avoid paying any kind of tax. There are many micronations in the world which still exist and actually have a vivid history behind their existence. Here are the twelve most bizarre micronations in the whole world today.

12. Principality of Hutt River

This micronation was formed by Leonard George Casely in 1970. as befitting the description of a micronation, this place is barely 75 square kilometres in area. It is a piece of farmland which is located near Northampton, a town in western Australia. It came up as a form of protest when the government had forbidden Casely from selling as much wheat as he wanted to. There was a quota which said that he could only sell 99 acres of wheat inspite e of having grown 9900 acres. He seceded from the State under a law which allowed British colonies to seceded in such circumstances. No political entity has recognized the principality as a sovereign state. Hutt River has a navy inspite of the fact that it is a landlocked place.

11. Conch Republic

This is another micronation which was formed due to circumstances of both jest as well as protest. The Conch republic came into being on the 23rd of April 1982. A US border checkpoint has been established between the Florida keys and the main land. There were reasons which were given to have made the checkpoint and these included the fact that there was a lot of illegal immigrants who were coming in from Cuba into the States. There was also a lot of smuggling going on between Cuba and the Caribbean Islands. Unfortunately, a gridlock was made on the only bridge which ever led to the Florida Keys. As a result, tourism and other activities came to a standstill. The Mayor, Denis Wardlow made himself the prime minister. This was never a serious affair. They have a national motto which goes: “We Seceded Where Others Failed”.

10. Republic of Minerva

This was started by in 1971 a millionaire Michael Oliver who wanted to create an utopia with no taxes, state subsidies or even welfare. Minerva is located in the Minerva reef between Tonga and New Zealand. The island was created by putting in lots of sand into the reefs and thus bringing it above sea level. Morris C. Davis was elected as the president but the nation was shortlived owing to the people from Tonga who said that the island was within their territory and brought in their soldiers for a forced eviction.

9. Sealand

This nation sparked off on an anti-aircraft platform offshore. This was called HMS Roughs and was used in the Second World War to repudiate German aircraft laying mines. It accommodated 107 English soldiers. In 1967, radio broadcaster called Paddy Roy Bates took over the place to make it his headquarters for his Radio Essex. Since it is in international waters, following an acquittal, Bates made it the Principality of Sealand and gave it the motto E Mare, Libertas which means From the Sea, Freedom. It still exists today and Bates’ remaining family shoot randomly at passing boats in defence.

8. The Nation of Celestial Space

This is one of the craziest, when James Thomas Mangan claimed his previously unclaimed theory from the local board. This included the entire Universe, excluding the Earth. He even made coins and postage stamps for his nation in outer space.

7. Mollosia

A result of a school project by Kevin Baugh in 1977, this is a parody of a dictatorship and is in northern Nevada. He calls it the Enclave Nation and has a constitution and a national assembly. Baugh uses martial law due to the “foreign threat” presented by the United States. There are “national” laws forbidding arms, smoking and light bulbs which are incandescent. It claims territory in Pennsylvania an north California as well as the deepest trench in the Pacific, called Neptune Deep along with Vesperia province in Venus.

6. Pitcairn Island

This has an amazing history connected to the Bounty Mutiny. Captain Bligh was captured by his crew who wanted to stay on at Tahiti and not go back to England. Some actually stayed there while others went to another island called Pitcairn in the southern part of Pacific Ocean. Some descendants are still there and the place is regarded as an incorporated territory. In 2003, its population was 50.

5. The Grand Duchy of Westarctica

This is an unclaimed territory in Western Antarctica called Marie Byrd Island. In 2001 Travis McHenry declared it to be a sovereign nation with himself as the ruler. There are no full time citizens of that place and not much is known about it as of now.

4. Freetown Christiania

It was made in 1971 in Copenhagen at a military base which was long abandoned. The founders were hippies and other liberals who wanted to create an utopian society. Some say it is a free society while others claim it is overrun by drugs and rapists. Though there are laws against firearms, drugs and cameras, there is no police force to enforce these laws. At Pusher Street, marijuana and hash are sold in open stalls. It is an official anarchy and many famous Danish writers and other artistes have come from there.

3. Rose Town

An Italian architect called Giorgio Rosa made a 400 sq. meter raised platform in the Adriatic Sea in 1968. He declared sovereignty and called it The Republic of Rose Island. He wanted to print his own currency and soon was evicted by the Italian government. Rosa then began printing his postage stamps from a “Government in exile”. The platform was destroyed by the government by using explosives.

2. Aerican Empire

This empire was created in May 1987. The name is an obvious mockery of the word “American”. The members have land across many different places in the world, including Australia, Montreal (Canada), a colony on Mars, and other weird places like the north hemisphere of Pluto and other bizarre territories including a planet which is completely imaginary. This empire was started by Eric Lis from Montreal along with a few friends.

1. Global Country of World Peace

The founder of this nation Maharishu Mahesh Yogi is very well known to all those who have grown up with The Beatles. This man surely takes the cake for trying to desperately form a micronation at all costs. GCWP has been offering over one billion US dollars to some of the small and impoverished countries across the whole world in return for some sovereignty on some part of their land. The prime minister of this “nation” is Bevan Morris and the headquarters are in Iowa.

So you think that Starbucks grande coffee is expensive? Well, maybe it is, but reading the following list of the top 10 most expensive foods around the world is definitely going to give you a completely new perspective on food that costs a lot. This article categorizes expensive foods from the least to the most expensive. Read on and prepare to be shocked, awed and amazed. Be warned, though; by the end of this list, you might just develop a craving for these edibles that redefine the term ‘rich food’:

1. Kopi Luwak

First on the list is ‘Kopi Luwak’ – This is a kind of coffee that is created from coffee berries that have been eaten and excreted by a member of the cat family, the Asian Palm Civet. Here’s the thing, though: the berries that are eaten are excreted whole – undigested by the animal. Although this might sound highly unappetizing, there has to be something special about this, which, one supposes, justifies the cost. The animal happens to be native to Java, Sulawesi, the Philippines and Sumatra. The reason it is so expensive is this – annually, no more than five hundred pounds of Kopi Luwak are produced. (Cost: $600/pound approximately)

2. Saffron

If you visit India, you’ll find this in a lot of the food preparations over there – saffron. When you find out that it’s considered amongst the most expensive spices in the world, you wonder how it’s such an integral part of Indian cuisine. Saffron itself has a somewhat bitter taste, but it imparts a delightful flavour to any food that it is made a part of.

Photo by yoshiko314

(Cost: $800+ for every pound, depending on the quality)

3. Bagel

How much would you pay for a bagel on the streets of New York? A couple of dollars? Throw in another dollar for coffee. Well, if you fancy trying the most expensive bagel on the planet, head to New York city, but you won’t find it on the streets. The Westin Hotel in New York makes a whopper of a bagel in terms of price. Credit for the creation of the bagel goes to Chef Frank Tujague who whipped up the delicacy. What makes it so expensive? It’s topped with goji berry with an infusion of golden leaves, and cream cheese made from white truffle that, by weight, is the second costliest food item on the planet

Photo by musicpb

(Cost: $1000 per bagel)

4. Steak

The next time you’re craving a rare steak and don’t want to go to that new restaurant and get one because it’s so expensive, remember this part of the article. We’re talking about Kobe beef, the world’s costliest red meat. The Kobe type of Wagyu cattle is raised in Hyogo in Japan. These cows are said to be given a diet of nothing other than beer, and are given massages by hand. What this does is, it makes the really, really tender. It’s not something you’d be able to afford on a Friday night out on the town, but it’s not wildly expensive either.

Photo by justydrink

(Cost: $2800 for a whole steak)

5. Pizza

We don’t think too much before calling for a pizza, but there’s no doubt we would, if it cost as much as a few high-end laptop computers. Fifth on this list is the ‘Pizza Royale 007’. Made by Domenico Crolla, this 12-inch food-lovers’ fantasy is sprinkled with not oregano, gold flakes (24-karat). It’s not just the gold flakes that make this pie so expensive; the pizza is loaded with exotic ingredients like Scottish smoked salmon, proscuitto, champagne-soaked caviar, lobster that’s been marinated in fine cognac, and more exclusive stuff

Photo by secretsamba

(Cost: $4200 for a 12-inch pie)

6. Midas

Remember the story of King Midas with his ‘golden touch’? Everything he touched would turn to gold, including his food and drink. Now in the story, he couldn’t of course eat and drink the gold, but often, reality is stranger than fiction. Those in the know of such things refer to it as ‘additive E175’ which, in lay-person’s terms, is – wait for it – gold. It tastes like nothing in particular, but it’s not known for its flavor anyway. Bottomline: gold looks great. It is shiny, nice to look at, conveys a sense of wealth, and is safe to consume in small quantities. Kind of seems a shame to eat it, but hey, if you can afford to buy food with gold in it, you’re free to do just as you please with it!

(Cost: Starts at $15000/pound)

7. Yubari Melons

Who has grown up without being constantly reminded, by their parents, teachers and other well-wishers, of the great value of fruit? May be they were talking about nutritional value, but let’s look at a different kind of ‘value’ – the world’s costliest melons are the Yubari melons. They’re reputedly quite different from regular melons and taste great too. Considering how expensive they are, one supposes they don’t have a choice but to taste great!

Photo by terencenah

(Cost: $22800 approximately)

8. Sweet Tooth

It’s okay to have a sweet tooth, but you’d better hope you don’t have to spend on a visit to the dentist after having this dessert – the aptly named ‘Grand Opulence’ sundae puts to shame all others in its league, if at all, there are any! Made by NYC’s Serendipity, this happens to be the most expensive dessert on planet Earth. It’s got five scoops of Tahitian vanilla ice cream and is topped with the costliest chocolates you can find anywhere. In addition, it has on top a very exclusive caviar which is decorated with edible gold leaf, no less than 23-carats. The spoon is golden as well! The whole ensemble comes to you in an expensive crystal goblet. Yum!

Photo by *Sherry*

(Cost: $25000 per sundae)

9. King of Fungi

Now this isn’t a food preparation in itself, but it’s on this list because it’s an important ingredient in a lot of really expensive foods. Popularly referred to as the ‘King of Fungi’, the Italian White Alba Truffle is the costliest in the world, beating even the highly prized black truffles. The highest someone has ever paid for this exclusive white truffle might be considered by some as ridiculous. But if someone’s paying so much for it, it can’t be all hype, can it?

Photo by algo

(Cost: $ 160400 approximately for slightly over 3 pounds)

10. Diamonds: Nature’s Miracle

And now, the grand finale. This one really takes the cake. Literally! If you love someone a lot, and want to show them how much, there usually isn’t a figure you can put to it. But if you have the cash, then maybe there is. In 2005, a pastry chef from Tokyo, Japan unveiled his piece de resistance – a fruit cake with two hundred and twenty three tiny diamonds embedded in it. The cake even had a name, ‘Diamonds: Nature’s Miracle’. It sure would be a delightful miracle if we somehow got it on our birthday!

Photo by ArtistOnline

(Cost: a jaw-dropping $1.6 million)

Caroline Welz is a German citizen who was born in Germany in the year 1986, on the 6th of July. She could have been an ordinary person, but as it turns out, she is not. Caroline Welz is an extremely tall girl, taller than most girls her age, and taller than most other girls. In fact she is as tall as 2.06 metres.

For people who do not understand metres, she is exactly 6 feet and 9 inches tall. At 6 feet and 9 inches, she is easily one of the tallest women in the world at present. She is presently twenty four years old. Her almost abnormally huge height has never been a problem or a hindrance for her. She suffers from a condition known as gigantism, which is a hormonal disorder which occurs most probably due to the excessive secretion of a particular hormone from the pituitary gland.

Caroline Welz, is called Caro in endearingly. At 206 centimetres tall, Caroline Welz is one the tallest women the woman and she happens to be the tallest woman in Germany. She is famous worldwide because of this fact, and she even has a web page devoted to her on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Caroline Welz is so tall that just her legs are fifty one inches high which is almost 130 centimeters. She wears custom made footwear since her the size of her feet is 15 by the United States standards, and 48 by European standards, which is abnormally large, and never seen for a woman of normal size.

Here are some facts about Caroline Welz, or Caro, who happens to be the tallest woman in Germany, and one of the tallest women in the world-

• Date of Birth- 6th of July, 1986
• Place of Birth- Cologne, Germany
• Height- 206 cm (which is almost 6 feet 9 inches)
• Weight- 117 kg (or 259 lbs)
• Shoe Size- 15 (US) and 48 (EU)
• Eye colour- Blue
• Hair colour- Black
• Ethnicity or Origin- German

She even has a personal website of her, the address of which is http://www.grossefrau.de/

She has a number of fans worldwide who are regular visitors of her website.

Born on the 6th of July in 1986, in North Rhine- Westphalia, Caro or Caroline Welz is the tallest woman in Germany, and one of the tallest in the world. But being almost gigantic in height has not affected Caroline Welz’s choice of career. Professionally, Caroline is a tailor and is also a part-time model. Her tallness is aptly described as stunning. She makes quite an impression when she weaves through traffic or appears in public.

People pause to look at the towering woman in admiration and even awe, for she creates quite an impression. She’s taller than most doors and entrances, and has to bend down to pass through. That’s quite a sight for most people. She has appeared on television and has been interviewed by magazines quite a number of times. There are a number of her videos on You Tube demonstrating her striking tallness. She is quite a popular figure, and has a number of fans worldwide, who adore their tall Caro.

A sniper is an operative who gets intelligence for the command structure that he works in – be it law enforcement or even the military. Sometimes, he has to take well aimed shots that, if properly done, will save lines. In this article, we shall discuss the most popular snipers in history.

First comes Simo Hayha – born in 1905, he was called White Death by the Red Army. He was a Finnish solder, who uses a standard iron-sighted bolt action-rifle in the Winter War. Today he is credited with having the highest number of recoded kills in any major war. He was born in Rautjarvi, which is near the present-day border of Finland and Russia.

In 1925 began his military service – he was originally a farmer and a hunter, before turning to combat. During the Winter War, which went on between 1939 and 1940, between the Soviet Union and Finland – he began his job as sniper, and fought against the Red Army on the part of the Finnish. He operated in temperatures between -20 and -40 degrees Celsius, dressed in all-white camouflage. It is said he killed at least 505 Soviet solders, and more unconfirmed deaths. He died in 2002, and is considered a sniper legend in Finland even today.

Then there was Ivan Sidorenko – who was born in 1919. He was a former Red Army officer, who served in World War II. He was credited as being one of the top Soviet snipers in the war, and made at least 500 confirmed kills. He was ranked a Major, and was definitely the most successful Soviet sniper of World War II – he used the Russian Mosin-Nagant rifle, which had telescopic sight.

Photo by Za Rodinu

Billy Sing, too, (1886 – 1943), the Australian solder of World War I, was one of the most distinguished snipers around – he worked in the Gallipoli Campaign. Two months after war broke out, on October 24, 1914, Sing enlisted as a trooper in the Australian Fifth Light Horse Regiment of the Australian Imperial Force. Quickly he became internationally famous because of his sniper work during the Gallipoli campaign between 1915-1916. He served as dismounted infantry in the Campaign, and partnered with his spotter Ion Idriess, and then later Toh Sheehan. He took at least 150 confirmed kills.

Photo wikipedia.org

Erwin Konig, who was also known as Heinz Thorvald, must be mentioned. He was a very skilled Wehrmacht sniper, who was apparently killed by the famous Red Army sniper Vasily Zaystev during the Battle of Stalingrad. Konig gets mention in both Zaystev’s memories “Notes of a Sniper” and in the 1973 non-fiction book “Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad” by William Craig. In the 2001 movie, we get to see a fictional account of the sniper duel between Konig and Zaystev during the last days of the Battle of Stalingrad.

Photo by wikipedia.org

And then we come to Vasily Zaystev himself. He was a Soviet sniper who worked during World War II, and he was known specifically for his activities between November 10 and December 17, 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad. Reports say he killed at least 225 soldiers and more officers of the Wehrmacht and other Axis armies, a well as 11 enemy snipers. Zaystev is famous for his participation in the Battle of Stalingrad – he run the Soviet snipers’ training school in the Metiz factory. Those snipers that he trained were nicknamed “zaichata” – which means baby hares. This basically started the sniper movement in the 62nd Army. The snipers, whom Zaystev trained, killed at least 3000 enemy soldiers. Quite a staggering number, isn’t it?

Photo wikipedia.org

We must mention Henry Norwest – who was a former ranch-hand and rodeo performer. He served for a short duration with the Northwest Mounted Police, till September of 1915, when he enlisted with the Canadian army. He put in three years of service with the 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion – and he achieved a sniping record of at least 115 fatal shorts, reports say. Today Norwest is still revered for being an outstanding marksman, having superb stealth tactics and amazing expertise in camouflage. In fact, because he was so exceptional in these areas, he was frequently sent on reconnaissance missions into enemy lines by his superiors.

Then there’s Carlos Norman Hathcock II (1942 – 1999) who was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Sniper. He took in 93 confirmed kills. He was a legend in the Marine Corps because of his classy record and the amazing missions he undertook. He got great fame as a sniper, and he was very dedicated to long distance shooting, which eventually made him famous. He became a major developer of the United States Marine Corps Sniper training course – and recently had a rifle named after him. He said that he liked shooting, and liked hunting, however he did not enjoy killing anybody – but it was part of the job.

Photo by Judge Rock

Wondering what a black hole is? Well, it is basically the cold remnants of former stars – which are so dense that no matter (not even light) can escape the powerful gravitational pull. Most stars usually end up as white dwarfs or even neutron stars – but black holes are basically the last evolutionary stage in the lifetime of large stars that were at least 10 or 15 times as massive as the Sun itself. When these stars reach the final stages of their lives, they often blow up in cataclysms which are called supernovae. These explosions scatter most parts of the star into space, but sometimes a cold remnant is left behind – and on this no more fusion takes place.

Nuclear fusion creates energy in younger stars, there is a constant outward pressure which balances itself out with the inward pull of gravity which the star’s own mass causes. But when it comes to the dead remnants of the massive supernova, gravity is not opposed by any force – so the star begins to collapse in upon itself.

And since there is no force to check the pull of gravity, the budding black hole shrinks and shrinks till it reaches zero volume – and then it becomes infinitely dense. Even the light from this star cannot escape the strong gravitational pull. Thus the light becomes trapped in orbit, and this dark star, we call a black hole.

One interesting fact that you might not be aware of is that black holes pull matter and even energy into and within themselves – but not more so than other stars or even cosmic objects of similar mass. This basically means that a black hole with the mass of the sun, would not be able to suck objects into it any more than the sun does with its gravitational pull. Light, planets, and other kinds of matter must be relatively close to a black hole in order to be pulled or sucked into it. When they reach this point of no return, we say that they have reached the “Event Horizon” – from this point escape is absolutely impossible, because one would need to move faster than the speed of light.

Photo by nasa1fan/MSFC

Black holes are quite small – for instance, a million-solar-mass hole (which are believed to be at the center of some galaxies), might probably have a radius of about 2 million miles – which is about four times the size of the sun. So a black hole with a mass equal to that of the sun would have a two-mile radius. Black holes are small and distant, plus they’re also dark – this is why they cannot be observed directly. But of course they do exist – and this has been confirmed by scientists the world over. They do it by measuring mass in the sky’s region, and then looking out for areas of dark, large mass.

One can find black holes in binary star systems – these continually pull mass from the neighboring star – this makes the black hole bigger and bigger and thus the other star shrinks. Finally a point is reached when the black hole is really large and the neighboring star has vanished into nothingness. In the center of some galaxies, really large black holes can be found. Our own Milky Way is one such example. These black holes tend to have the size of at least 10 t0 100 billion suns. They grow to such big sizes because there is lots and lots of matter in the center of the galaxy for them to suck in. thus as they get so much matter into them, their mass increases, and they become even denser.

According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, a black hole is a place where the gravity is so high that time dilation occurs – time stops. This causes the Event Horizon – where objects fall in, or where matter is sucked in. those objects can never reappear.

Black holes have fascinated science-fiction lovers, they have captured the human imagination the world over – people nowadays talk about the concept of a “wormhole” – which is basically a theoretical tunnel which might allow rapid travel through time and space – but no evidence has been found to support the theory that this exists.

Mount Everest is about 8.9 kilometers above sea level – and it is one of the mountains of the range Himalayas – which lies on the frontiers of Tibet and Nepal, in the north of India. There has been much dispute regarding the exact height of the mountain – in a survey by the British government in the mid 1800’s, the height was said to be 29,002 feet, but in a 1954 survey by the Indian government, the height was said to be 29,029 feet. Today, most people consider it to be 29,131 feet high.

Scaling this mountain is definitely not easy – mountaineers have to deal with crevasses, avalanches, and strong winds that can literally blow a person away. Plus, there is also thin air and steepness to deal with. No wonder, then, that many ambitious mountaineers perish along the way, their accompanying mountaineers have to leave the dead body behind, and this has made the Mount Everest the highest burial ground in the world. It’s common knowledge that Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world, but now it has gone down in history for also being the highest burial ground in the world. You would be surprised to know that at least 175 mountaineers have lost their lives on this mountain, and ended up being buried there.

Photo by Tartarin2009

Of course it doesn’t take much to figure out that these unlucky people died of perilous conditions of cold and low pressure of air. Imagine the physical difficulties that they went through, and eventually succumbed to. Many ambitious mountaineers tried to scale the peak, but ended up dying along the way, thus Mount Everest became their place of burial, and this therefore makes the Everest the highest burial ground in the world.

A report says that at least 41 mountaineers were buried in the northern part of the Everest. Two main causes of death during mountaineering are hypothermia, and a lack of oxygen. But of course climbing accidents must also be taken into account. For instance, David Brash –a well known mountaineer, says that if any particular mountaineer dies along the summit, the other members would find it really hard to descend with his body. That is why the members sometimes need to leave the body behind, choosing to bury it in the snow in Mount Everest.

When David had gone climbing Mount Everest with a 13 member team, one Taiwanese (who was part of their group) died of hypothermia. Of course they tried to bring his body back with them, but that proved impossible, so they had to bury him there. In fact, David says that many kinds of causes, not just hypothermia and lack of oxygen, can contribute to a mountaineer dying (and consequently having to be buried) on Mount Everest.

Did you know that in 1996, there was an ice storm that surrounded an eight-member team of mountaineers? None of them survived. Not a single one lived, all of them died up there, and they are part of the many who have been buried on Mount Everest.

Photo by mikemellinger

However, the truth is that despite many impossible and difficulties, some mountaineers are successful in bringing back the bodies of their dead companies. But that’s very rare, and happens only once in a blue moon. The majority of people who die on Mount Everest, end up having to be buried there. So as the number of people to climb the famous mountain slowly increases, so too, does the number of people who die there from perilous circumstances – they are mostly buried there without graves, and thereby denied a sense of identity or even a proper funeral.

It is absolutely alarming to see how newspapers never seem to run out of crazy weird headlines. What starts out as a journalistic endeavor usually ends up being absolutely hilarious and over the top. Once printed it becomes difficult to get control over the usage of such newspapers. So you wake up in the morning and find the most hilarious headline in the very front page.

While it can be quite embarrassing for the editor, for readers it is a matter of sure and intense laughter. What adds to the entire funny factor is that such headlines are unintentionally funny. It can be a headline on something very serious too and this can tingle the funny bones when a reader reads something completely outrageous. So if you think jokes are funny, you will surely laugh out incredibly loud over the next few headlines.

They have also made quite a name for themselves because they are considered to be the funniest ever headlines of all times to come. Now looking at the wide range of funny headlines, which sure is a tough spot to compete for. So take a look for yourself and decide which headline you consider to be the funniest.

1. Tiger Woods plays with his own balls, Nike Says

Haha! In light of recent events surrounding the ace golfer, this Nike saying doesn’t seem too misplaced eh?

2. Missipp’s literacy program shows improvement

Uh huh? Well, whatever happened to teaching people to spell Mississippi properly before writing news on it?

3. Condom truck tips, spills loads

Now it’s a little difficult to point out here whether the reporter left in this funny headline intentionally?

4. Federal agents raid gun shops, find weapons

Ah well, whoever would have expected that?!

5. Anna Nicole Smith’s boobs exploder

Now that cannot be a pretty sight!

If you think these were funny then wait for most that are coming up. Some of the best and most popular newspapers across the world seem to be issuing such newspapers everyday. The sad part is that even after going through so much proof reading, papers perhaps don’t tend to realize the amount of humor they are creating. But some possibly leave such funny headlines behind in the front page because they are so darn hilarious! Even extremely serious news can be rendered absolutely side-splitting when it comes to such quirky headlines. Take a look at this headline for instance:

6. Man executed after long speech

This was the headline for The Boston Globe in the year 1994. It is indeed quite ironic how the reporter managed to take something as serious as the death penalty and turn into the butt of a joke. You can’t help but wonder if the man in question here was indeed killed because he spoke too long? Either way most people will probably remember this man more for this amusing headline than anything else. That is why funny headlines can become difficult to deal with, because it literally leaves behind a lasting impression!

The year 2009 seems to have hit an all time high when it comes to funny and quirky headlines. And this list is in fact ever growing because it has gems of its own. If you thought the previous headlines were hilarious, wait till you take a look at these headlines. Thanks to the newspaper circulation process of 2009, people now have a lot more to laugh about. That is what makes it even more amusing. Read on for more gems to be added to the laughter list of 2009 newspaper and this gets funnier, we promise!

7. Michelle Obama wore clothes to light the Christmas Tree

This is indeed hilarious.

8. Chance of rain depends on where you live

Now, this is quite a first for most people. Just when you were teaching your kids about weather and climatic detection from age old Geography books, look with the weather office pitches in! Check into more details about what they are predicting. It might not work out, but it will surely make you laugh!

9. Statewide survey shows “ball tapping” problem widespread

This too, just when you thought that it cannot get any funnier!

10. Seven testify toddler looked hot

Not only is this headline funny, but very very disturbing too at several levels.
So far you have seen the funny. Well what about the outrageous? Some of the funny yet outrageous headlines are just well a little over the top. Either too much is happening in one sentence or it is just impossible when it comes to reality. Now these headlines are extremely special because they not just top the funny list but also the outrageous list. So while reading them prepare to laugh and also be a little confused? Take a look to find out:

11. Man walks into a bar, grabs another man’s beer, chokes bartender

This is a classic case of too much happening in a single headline. In fact it’s almost like a funny movie plot!

12. Pink-Clad Pooch Stolen from Gay Bar by Man with Brittney Tattoo

Yes, it’s err a little confusing to say the least. Also, does this even remotely bring Paris Hilton to mind?

13. Pet dog’s underwear fetish almost proves fatal

So if you thought by now, you have read it all, this proves that you clearly haven’t!

14. Local child wins gun from Fundraiser

Not only is this disturbing, funny, confusing all at the same time but incredibly popular as a funny headline!

15. Man tries armed robbery with knife in gun store

This headline surely takes the cake when it comes to the complication aspect. Also this man appears to be quite the dare devil, and that is to say the least.

So now that you have more or less seen it all, you should definitely have more respect for your journalists. They do quite the hard work to not just gather relevant news but also go an edge further to make it hilarious for you!

The term disability relates itself to any kind of limitation within the activity capacity of an individual. Being disabled in some way is not greater than or less than equal to the term unable to do something.  Disability within an individual is a complex situation as it maybe present from birth or have been acquired though the life span of a person living in conditions- both mental and environmental that are not suitable.

However, as the rise of individualism brought out the best in each, respective of what they were best at, we take a look at people who have taken disability within their stride and contributed to the world of music in ways which awe mankind. Take it from the Past and the Present, from disabilities like Diabetes, Microtia, Blindness, Multiple Sclerosis, these people have made it big.

Ray Charles

Originating from the U.S, this man is famous for his contribution to a beautiful mix in music- from the blues to the gospels. His genre of music is redefined as the 1ST African-American who punched in the country sounds to pop music. This singer, composer, pianist and keyboardist was blind and yet had the life of a musician and a bandleader. Not to mention he could perform the saxophone and trombone equally well. He worked for famous companies like the Warner Bros and Concord. With a variety of public appearances, this man has made it to a sensational popularity. With his blindness not coming in the road to success, he has adapted it all and moved on ahead with a mind blasting career.

Photo by Alan Light

Bret Michaels

Talk about sweet poison, Bret Michaels, suffering from Type1 Diabetes, is the lead singer of the band called Poison. Originating from the U.S, Pennsylvania this man belonged to one of the most famous metal bands of the 80’s. His area of excellence was the glam metal and hard rock genres of music. A lot of his music has been used in movie and productions and studio albums and tv series as well. He has acoustic versions of his songs with a variety in mixes. His music career began with a band in Paris and eventually moved onto what we know today as Poison in the Los Angeles. He had a variety of ventures with celebrities of his time which comprised of various sound tracks by him along with his personal self featuring in those productions as well.

Photo by Wendy C. Photography

Kenny G

After being rejected from the University of Washington’s Music program, this man today happens to be the most famous saxophone player ever.  He redefined the whole notion of jazz in unbelievable manner. His most famous record being breathless, Kenny G is a Grammy winner as well. He plays not only the saxophone but the alto and tenor as well. His most famous labels are Arista and Concord. His disability being asthma isn’t a block on the path of his career as we can see that he has the world record of playing the longest note on the saxophone.

Photo by kktp_

Rick Allen

After a full arm amputation, this man has a custom made drum kit so as to not let his disability come in the way of his music career. He plays the snare with his foot and is back on stage with an album that sold more than 20 million copies. Allen fondly known as the thunder god belongs to the English band called the Def Leppard. His areas of excellence are mainly the hard rock and metal genres. Rick Allen started off as a percussionist and is know one of the most famous drummers of the world.

Photo by 12rfrankford

Paul Stanley

Paul Stanley or Stanley Eisen was the famous rhythm guitarist of the rock band Kiss, this man was born with Microtia which is a rare disease where a congenital deformity would make the pinna almost invisible or extremely small. But this disability did not ever stop him from being the incredible musician with a record of 100 million records sold world wide. He has also been the spokesman for About Face, an organization that brings support to individuals with facial differences.

Photo by Steve Gray

Itzhak Perlman

For many in the world Itzhak Perlman has been one of the youngest virtuoso violin players of many great talents. He contracted polio at age 4 but made a quick recovery, speeding into his career as one of the greatest treasures in the world of classical music. He walked with crutches and now he generally uses a scooter to get around. He has been playing the violin for quite sometime now and have been given the title of “Sir” in recent times.

Photo by bo mackison

Edgar Winter

This American blues musician had experimented with multiple instruments and has come with various new and interesting concepts contributing to the world of music. He contracted albinism or extreme sensitivity to light at an early age. Even with his conditions Winter had always made his stage performances in very lit up areas showing where passion rules, there is no stopping of any debilitating disease.

Photo by Carl Lender

Jacqueline du Pre

Jacqueline du Pre was a British cellist who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 28. She was one of the greatest players of the cello and was associated with Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor. But her career had to be cut short due to her disease and even led to premature death. Her masterful performance astounded the world and her sudden demise was a great loss in the world of classical music.

Photo by artofspanish

Tony Lommi

Tony Lommi was initially a jazz guitarist who suffered partial amputation of his fingers while working in a sheet metal factory as a teenager. But he was inspired to pursue his career after hearing a record from a similarly injured jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. He wore plastic covers to his damaged areas and played on the guitar. He even played guitar by replacing them with banjo strings creating astounding and unusual music. He later formed the band Black Sabbath creating greater influence all over the world.

Photo by The Brighton Centre

Ludwig Van Beethoven

The master classical pianist and one of the greatest wonders in the world of music was deaf himself for the last 25 years of his life. He started showing his incredible genius at a very early age. Beethoven’s work has and will forever remain one of the finest in the world of classical music. He continued with his incredible work and compositions even through his later stages of debilitating deafness. That really takes the work of the gods to create such incredible music without the function of being able to hear them properly!

Photo by Doc Kazi

Michael Bolton

Famous pop singer, who has influenced the world with his soulful compositions and performances, suffers from deafness in one ear. In fact partial tinnitus or some amount of deafness has been quite a concern for many musicians across the world. Michael Bolton has worked through these conditions in him self and continued being the great musician that he was meant to be, stirring the hearts of millions.

Photo by Heiko_baby

Cher

Pop diva and actress, Cher, suffered from dyslexia from an early age. Yet she went on to be this remarkable star that the world has known, overcoming the limitations that we posed in her path. Many talented musicians, actresses and scientists in the world with incredible gifts have had the stumbling blocks of dyslexia or ADD or even learning deficiency in some form or the other. Goes to show that many gifts stay hidden underneath the layers of such initial problems which prove to be simple to overcome when ridden with the passion of riding the dream one is meant to fulfill on earth.

Photo by wikimedia.org