Wacky News: Balenciaga Homeless Shoes, Beer Ice Cream And Funeral Proposal | Ep 17

Manorama: Podcast recording starts in 3…2…1

Athira: Hey everyone! You are listening to Onmanorama’s Wacky News. My name is Athira Madhav, here to bring you some of the craziest news stories this week. Joining me is my robot best friend Manorama who collects all these crazy stories. 

Manorama: Hello listeners! Are you ready to listen to some wacky news?

Athira: Manorama, what all wacky news have you found for us this week?

Manorama: There’s a story about Indian parents who sued their son for a grandchild, a machine that turns beer into ice cream and much much more!

Athira: Awesome! Then start the news countdown.

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Athira: There is a device called HiccAway, which is essentially a special type of plastic straw scientifically designed to instantly cure hiccups. Apparently the L-shaped straw works in 92 per cent of cases. Dr Ali Seifi, who is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, came up with the design after seeing his son’s McFlurry ice cream spoon.

Manorama: Wow, up until now I thought McDonald's helped only the Cardiology department!

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Athira: A South African man from Limpopo province recently courted controversy when he proposed to his girlfriend at her father's funeral, that too with her father's casket in the background. The man's girlfriend and family were clearly shocked by the gesture, but she did not react in any way. When the ring was placed on her finger, she just accepted it silently.

Manorama: Was this an act of true love or a sign of ultimate disrespect? Only his fiance can tell. I hope the wedding date will not coincide with her father's first death anniversary.

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Athira: Indian parents Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad recently sued their son, asking that he either return them Rs 5 crore they allegedly invested in his education and marriage or give them a grandchild within a year! They filed a lawsuit for not getting a grandchild to play with during their retirement years, despite the fact that their son has been married for six years.

Manorama: Dear Indian parents, your kid does not owe you anything. You had a kid because you wanted one. Your kid is not having his own kid because he doesn’t want one. 

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Athira: Designer brand Balenciaga recently unveiled a new limited-edition sneaker that looks so damaged and dirty that most people wouldn’t dare wear it in public. They even put a price tag of $2,000 on these distressed shoes. So in short, they are three times as expensive as their normal shoes!

Manorama: This is deeply disturbing. These fashion brands are now making it expensive to look homeless!

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Athira: Did you know that there is a Coca Cola Lagoon in Brazil? Lagoa da Araraquara lagoon in Rio Grande del Norte has water with the exact same colour as Coca Cola. Apparently, the lagoon is coloured by a concentration of iodine and iron. As for the taste, it is ordinary water with no carbonation.

Manorama: There is a pond in New Zealand with water that is neon green like Mountain Dew. The next step should be finding a lake with Mirinda-colored water!

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Athira: Will Rogers, the owner of WDS Dessert Stations in Illinois, has invented a machine that turns alcohol into ice cream! His Below Zero ice cream machine freezes alcohol using a patented gel that turns it into soft-serve ice cream. It doesn’t affect the alcohol content by the way!

Manorama: Humanity should give up cocktails. There is no better way to chill than to get drunk on ice cream! Hey Athira! How are you chilling these days?

Athira: Oh, I just grab a can of beer, sit back, relax and listen to The Daily News Dose Podcast by Onmanorama. Their podcast gives me brief notes about major happenings of the day. This way I stay up to date about what’s happening around me.

Manorama: Interesting! Where can I listen to it?

Athira: oh, it's available on all podcast streaming platforms.

Manorama: Then I’ll quickly finish recording Wacky News and go listen to the brand new episode of Daily News Dose. Even robots need to chill!

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Athira: TV Asahi’s Zenryokuzaka is one of Japan’s longstanding television shows. It has been on the air for 15 years and has a very simple premise. Every night at 1. 20 from Monday to Thursday they show a random woman running on a random street for six minutes. 

Manorama: A show that has been running for 15 years to show women running? Is this a kinky thing? Humanity is weird.  

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Athira: This news is super wacky! An unidentified man gained 6 pack abs in just two days by tattooing it on his torso. However, UK-based tattoo artist Dean Gunther who created the hyper-realistic 6 pack tattoo, advised his followers to not "give up the gym" for their health. 

Manorama: If he suffered that big batch of pain for a fake six-pack, then why can’t he suffer small batches of pain and gain a real six-pack?

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Athira: A shrinking reservoir in Las Vegas is revealing its dark secrets. At first, a barrel containing a man’s body was found at Lake Mead in Nevada. Now the devastating drought has revealed another set of human remains. This time it was a jaw bone. Police estimate the man in the barrel had been shot decades ago.

Manorama: If drought gets worse, it would probably bring more human remains to the lake’s surface. Imagine the number of man missing cases that would get solved due to climate change. 

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Athira: Did you know that there is a town in Turkey that speaks an ancient Semitic language once believed to have been used by Jesus? Some Christians living in the town of Mardin speak a dialect of Aramaic, the language that Jesus is believed to have conversed in. During the Roman period, the city was called Marida, an ancient Neo-Aramaic word meaning fortress. 

Manorama: Once this Covid thing is put to rest, you have to take me on a world tour Athira. 

Athira: Mad or what? Customs will charge me extra for carrying around a robot through airports. Why don’t you open YouTube and go for a virtual world tour, huh? Anyway, that was a great set of wacky news Manorama. What are you planning for us next week?

Manorama: I am currently reading about a dog that raised three abandoned tiger cubs and a husband who finally cremated his wife after living with her coffin for 21 years. But more on that next week.

Athira: Awesome. Can’t wait to share it with our listeners. Well, that’s all for today folks! Did you like the episode? Do let me know. I and my Manorama robot will be back with even wackier news soon. So don’t forget to tune in. Tata!