Wacky News: Murderer Sheep, Mona Lisa Girlfriend, Motion Sickness and Amnesia | Ep 18

Manorama: Podcast recording starts in 3…2…1

Athira: Hey everyone! You are listening to Onmanorama’s Wacky News. I am Athira Madhav, bringing 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: We are ready! What do you have for us this week, Manorama?

Manorama: There's a story about a woman who lived like a man, a man who lived like a dog, and another one who doesn’t remember the life he lived and much, much more!

Athira: Awesome! Then start the news countdown.

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Athira: London native Clive Wearing who was once a musicologist and orchestra conductor, is now known for having one of the worst cases of amnesia ever recorded in human history. An infection by herpes simplex 1 virus back in 1985, left him with anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia. He cannot remember the past and the present as his brain resets at intervals between 7 and 30 seconds.  

Manorama: Does that mean he also doesn't remember having anterograde and retrograde amnesia? Wait, does he remember what amnesia is in the first place? The human brain is a mystery to an artificially intelligent system like mine.

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Athira: The 75-kilometre stretch of road in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Region is a car sick person’s worst nightmare. This mountain road known as Pamir Plateau Sky road has 600 hairpin turns. The whole road looks like a giant grey dragon from above. 

Manorama: Since you pretend to be so brave, I will book a cab for you to visit Pamir Plateau Sky road Athira. A warning shall be issued to the driver to wear a raincoat inside the car.  

Athira: That won't be necessary. I will have a trusted companion who will help me ride the dragon without motion sickness. And it's not you, Manorama!!!

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Athira: Citroën has launched a liquid-filled eyeglass, which makes wearers immune to motion sickness. According to the firm, the glasses enable the mind to resynchronise with the movement perceived by the inner ear while the eyes are focused on an immobile object. It's pretty pricey though, it costs around 8,000 rupees.

Manorama: HAHAHA, no companion comes cheap! You have got me all excited, it's like a fight between King Kong and Godzilla. Who will win? Pamir Plateau Sky road or Citroën eyeglasses?

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Athira: S Petchiammal, an Indian woman who became a widow after 15 days of her marriage, lived 40 years pretending to be a man to raise her daughter. To avoid harassment at the age of 20, she cut her hair short, replaced her sari with a shirt and lungi, changed her name to ‘Muthu’ and shifted her home to Katunayakkanpatti village in Tamil Nadu.  

Manorama: Now, that's the extended nesting instinct of the mother for you. Sheer determination.

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Athira: Here's another tale of determination. Despite failing the Gaokao university entrance exam 25 times in a row, a 55-year-old man in China named Liang Shi is still pursuing his college dream. This wealthy owner of a building materials company in Chengdu is focused on passing the university entrance exam when most people are thinking about retirement.

Manorama: This guy should rap like The Rock. It's about drive, it's about power, We stay hungry, we devour, Put in the work, put in the hours, and take what's ours.

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Athira: Celebrity painter Domingo Zapata, who became famous for his many depictions of the Mona Lisa, claims that the secret to his success is due to the ‘romantic and sexual’ relationship he shares with the Monalisa in his dreams. He also claims that his relationship with the painting has now turned into an obsession.

Manorama: Does he have the consent of Monalisa to have wet dreams about her? What a creep. Hey Athira? Are you obsessed with anything?

Athira: Oh, I am obsessed with 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: Fascinating! Where can I listen to it?

Athira: oh, It is 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. I wonder if I too will become obsessed with it.

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Athira: A 72-year-old man in Bangkok who lived with his late wife’s body for 21 Years and finally cremated her. Mr Charn Janwatchakal who served as a doctor in the Thai military loved his wife very much. So after his wife's death, he buried her body at home. Charn decided to cremate the body when he was faced with the question of who would look after his wife’s corpse after his death. 

Manorama: He took the oath, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part, quite seriously didn't he?

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Athira: Video of a labrador dog raising three tiger cubs abandoned by their mother has gone viral. The video shot in China, also mentions that the tiger mother refused to feed the cubs soon after birth. It was the Labrador that gave the cubs some company and warmth. 

Manorama: This is why I firmly believe Dogs are better than human beings. They are here to love and to be loved.

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Athira: A sheep was sentenced to three years in jail for killing a woman in Africa. The local court in South Sudan also ruled that the owner of the sheep will also have to hand over five cows to the victim's family. Sheep repeatedly headbutted a 45-year-old woman, breaking her ribs in the process.

Manorama: Why on earth would it order the owner of the violent sheep to hand over five cows to the victim's family? The court does know that cows are more powerful than sheeps right?  

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Athira: A Japanese man spent 12 lakhs, to look like a dog. The man, identified only as Toko, hired a Japanese company called Zeppet, which is known for creating sculptures and models for movies, to make a realistic border collie costume because he wanted to look like his favourite breed of dog.

Manorama: Help me. I have so many questions in my head but I can’t say any of them out loud since it will be inappropriate for our family-friendly podcast. 

Athira: Yeh… Then let us wind up that session. BTW That was a great set of wacky news Manorama. What are you planning for us next week?

Manorama: I am reading about retro smartphones and NATO beer that provides top-level security. 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!