There’s a forest in Japan famous for suicides!

It’s called Aokigahara, or the Sea of Trees and every year nearly 100 people hang themselves among its dense trees. The forest lies at the northwest base of Mount Fuji and because the trees are so densely packed, there is a renowned absence of animals or wind, resulting in an eerie silence. 

The forest has always been linked with demons and death throughout Japanese mythology. Every year, usually around March, people walk into the forest with a rope and little else to find a tree to end their life. The forest is so densely packed however, that the government has admitted there are most likely many bodies that are never found. 

In 1960 the novel “Nami no Tō” consisted with two lovers ending their lives in the forest and ever since suicide rates have skyrocketed. The government has begun placing posters in both Japanese and English throughout the area urging people to reconsider; yet many do not. Every year the government sends a search body of police to find the hanging bodies and has ceased publishing the figure to deter others from following suit. 

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There’s a painter who paints using only blood!

Vincent Castiglia is an American painter born in Brooklyn, New York. He paints exclusively with human blood on paper. He’s internationally acclaimed for figurative paintings with metaphysical and nightmarish subject matters.

He does a lot of work with themes involving symbiosis of birth and death and the pitfalls of mortality. He’s the first American to receive and invitation to have a solo exhibition in the H.R. Giger Museum in Gruyeres, Switzerland. Castiglia’s work is an examination of the human experience. His work is said to illustrate a humanity that is creative, but at the same time, self-destructive.

Tell us in the comments, what do you think of his work? What do you think of his choice of using blood to paint his art?

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A couple has been traveling for 25 continuous years in the same car!

Their names are Emil and Liliana Schmidt and they are currently listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the “Longest Driven Journey,” covering over 640,000 kilometers! 

The couple began their journey back in 1982 with little else besides a Toyota Land Cruiser. After 26 years they continue on covering nearly every country, but have encountered some problems. After twenty years, any car would begin to falter if it was being used so heavily, and the Scmidt’s was no different. 

While on a stop in Borneo they completely rebuilt their car and continued on their journey rather than procure a newer car. They have also gone through 166 flat tires and consumed 31 batteries, 138 spark plugs, 22 air filters and 54 shock absorbers! 

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Fishermen have encountered mysterious deformities and mutations in the Gulf of Mexico

Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico have alarmed scientists with their recent hauls. The types of fish and other animals they're pulling out of the gulf shows alarming signs of lesions, mutations or other deformities. For example, they've found numerous shrimp with abnormal growths or even without eyes. They've seen crabs with no claws or holes in their shells. Some crabs are rotting while still alive; they look fine outside, but they smell dead when opened. 

Scientists say they've never seen anything like this. Although testing still needs to be done, their early thoughts are that it has a lot to do with the BP oil spill that occurred a couple of years ago. Scientists say that some of the chemicals that were spread around the Ocean are not just toxic, but also mutagenic. Shrimp have such a short lifespan, that two or three generations have already been born since the spill occurred, which is enough time for the chemicals to enter the genome, they say. 

BP and Federal and State agencies say that the injuries are common and that seafood from the Gulf is among the most tested in the world and it is still safe to eat. 

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Check out a video report here:

Steve Buscemi aided firefighters on 9/11!

Actor Steve Buscemi began his acting career in the late 80’s starring in a variety of movies with Adam Sandler and the Coen brothers. Today his portrayal of Nucky Thompson in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” has been critically acclaimed, for which he won a Golden Globe for best lead actor. 

Before he began his acting career, Buscemi was a firefighter. On 9/11 he returned to his native station and aided in the effort to save as many people as possible. Buscemi was part of FDNY Engine 55 and after the Twin Towers were hit, he quickly returned to his station and began to help in any way possible. He refused to take any pictures and tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. 

Buscemi said that he wanted to help without being recognized which he thought would slow down the process. He worked twelve-hour shifts along with his fellow firefighters sifting through the rubble and saving anyone he could. 

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