Wacky News: Vampire Coffin, Perfect Screams And Buffett Dinner | Ep 22

Manorama: Podcast recording starts in 3…2…1

Vishnu: Hey everyone! You are listening to Onmanorama’s Wacky News. My name is Vishnu and I'm here to bring you some of the craziest news stories this week. To all those who were waiting to listen to my colleague Athira, she's asked me to let you all know that she's not in town and will get back soon with a super wacky episode. 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?

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

Manorama: There's a story about vampire coffin furniture, professional scream artists and much, much more!

Vishnu: Awesome! Then start the news countdown.

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Vishnu: Ziggy Vamp is a Tokyo-based company that produces hand-crafted, customisable coffin furniture for vampire fans. A high-quality vampire bed can cost you around 3 lakh rupees. You get to choose the colour of wood, upholsteries and metallic accessories like handles & crosses.

Manorama: This sounds reasonable. People spend a lot on luxury coffins to bury them in the ground. Those who enjoy lavish coffins should do so while they are still alive.  

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Vishnu: Hirata, a small village in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, went viral on social media for its production of ultra-spicy habanero-laced ice cream. It's so spicy that people must sign a waiver before eating it. If you can finish the ice cream, then you don’t have to pay for it. 

Manorama: I read that this ice cream was invented by locals who wanted to make a living after the Fukushima disaster of 2011. Thankfully habanero won't make the tongue radioactive. 

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Vishnu: Here’s another story from Japan. Kokenawa, a startup based in Nagoya, Japan, has created the world’s smallest portable toilet called Pocketoilet. The bag made of special fibres and coagulants can be pinned to a trash can. No odour will emanate from the bag after use. 

Manorama: This would be an excellent idea for toilet-less cities in India. Unfortunately, there aren't enough trash cans in those cities either.

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Vishnu: The life of Thailand’s loneliest tree that grows on a small islet near Trat Province is being threatened by social media-obsessed tourists desperate to click a selfie with it. Some are climbing on the fragile tree while others are damaging its bark, branches & roots for a few clicks.

Manorama: Despite being surrounded by salt water, that poor tree managed to stay away from human civilisation all these years. Why can't these mobile-wielding humans leave it alone? 

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Vishnu: A UK man got his favourite pair of Nikes permanently tattooed onto his feet. The tattoo of pair of Vibram FiveFingers sneakers was hand-drawn by famous tattoo artist Dean Gunther. According to Dean, his client got tired of buying new shoes. Manorama, do you remember this tattoo artist? 

Manorama: Oh yes, we had talked about his viral hyper-realistic six-pack abs tattoo on Wacky News. The guy never ceases to amaze me.

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Vishnu: Somebody just paid a record-breaking $19 million for a private steak lunch with legendary investor Warren Buffett. The lunch was auctioned to raise money for a charity combating poverty, hunger, and homelessness. 

Manorama: This should be considered the most expensive lunch in the world. I wish I could learn some investment secrets from Mr Warren Buffett. Unfortunately, I am not so rich.

Vishnu: Manorama, the best things in life are actually free. For example, I regularly listen to The Daily News Dose Podcast by Onmanorama for credible news. Their podcast gives me brief notes about major happenings of the day. This way, I stay informed about what’s happening around me without spending a penny.

Manorama: Where do you listen to it?

Vishnu: oh, it is available on all podcast streaming platforms.

Manorama: Then I’ll quickly finish recording Wacky News and listen to the brand new episode of Daily News Dose. Free things make me happy. 

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Vishnu: An elephant who killed a woman in Odisha, came back to trample her corpse at the funeral. According to reports, 70-year-old Maya Murmu was collecting water from a tubewell in Mayurbhanj district when the stray elephant from Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary attacked her.

Manorama: Generally, elephants are gentle creatures. Wonder what provoked this elephant to resort to such vengeance.

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Vishnu: Have you ever wondered how Hollywood stars can scream so perfectly? Well, they should thank professional scream artists like Ashley Peldon, who spends hours screaming into high-fidelity microphones to record various types of screams for movies and TV shows. 

Manorama: I’ve always wondered who is screaming for actors in movies like Jurassic World, Scream and Paranormal Activity. So she’s the magician.

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Vishnu: Last year, cafes in several Gulf Arab states started selling coffee and cold drinks in baby bottles. It sparked a new trend that caused excitement, confusion, and backlash. But it soon died down after authorities issued fines and inspections.

Manorama: Goo Goo Ga Ga. Imagine showing up to office meetings with a baby bottle full of coffee. Before you put down the bottle, your boss would hand in your dismissal. 

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Vishnu: We had so many Japanese invention stories today. Here’s another one. A Japanese IT engineer Lanius created a creepy night lamp that crawls on robotic spider legs and leads you to the toilet in the middle of the night. Dude, how on earth did you think this was a good idea?

Manorama: An arachnophobe is more likely to wet their bed than go with the crawling spider lamp to the toilet. Isn’t that right Vishnu?

Vishnu: Why are you embarrassing me in front of our listeners? Huh? I will wind up the podcast before you share too much information. Anyway, that was a great set of wacky news Manorama. What are you planning for us next week?

Manorama: I am currently reading about the cake face of Monalisa and the floating city in the Indian Ocean. But more on that next week.

Vishnu: 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!