Wednesday, December 17th, 2014 Edition

Page 38

Page 39

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESday, DECEMber 17, 2014

Strange World

Finnish Bodybuilder turns into fantastic four’s the thing when working out According to Wikipedia “sufferers show visible folds, ridges or creases on the surface of the top of the scalp. The number of folds can vary from 2 to roughly 10 and are typically soft and spongy. These folds cannot be corrected with pressure. The condition typically affects the central and rear regions of the scalp, but

M

eet Jari “Bull” Mentula, a bodybuilder from Finland who looks a lot like the Marvel superhero The Thing, of the Fantastic Four. Not only is he muscular enough to fit the bill, but his head gets so abnormally wrinkly when he flexes his muscles that the resemblance becomes uncanny. Jari has been a familiar face on the IFBB (International Federation of BodyBuilders) tour during the last 15 years, making a name for

himself in competitions and even winning the European Bench Press Championships in 2002, 2004 and 2008. But he only became known to the general public last year, when a photo of him working out was posted on popular news sharing network Reddit. The image was captioned “I guess that’s the brain popping out, isn’t it?” And indeed, the bodybuilder’s head looked so incredibly wrinkly that it looked like his brain was about to burst through

sometimes can involve the entire scalp.” One thing’s for sure though, Jari Mentula looks so damn muscular that he appears to have muscles on top of his head as well. He definitely has the most impressive scalp vascularity I’ve ever seen on a bodybuilder.

his scalp. Obviously, the comparisons to The Thing started pouring in, along with other hilarious comments, but there were those who offered a possible explanation for his bizarre look. A rich vascularity in the scalp was one of the possible causes, but the most plausible one is that Jari Mentula must be suffering from an incurable condition known as Cutis Verticis Gyrata, usually associated with the thickening of the scalp.

This Afghan Bruce Lee Doppelganger will blow your mind

A

bulfazl Abbas Shakoory not only bears an uncanny resemblance to legendary martial arts master Bruce Lee, but he can also perform his incredible moves almost to perfection. Shakoory has become an internet celebrity of sorts, after putting up videos of his stunts on social media websites. The 20-year-old Kabul resident, who calls himself “Bruce Hazara” has been practicing various types of martial arts ever since he was a child. He had always considered Bruce Lee his hero, and describes the ability of mastering his famous moves as his “only dream”. To accomplish his goal, Shakoory has also started practicing Wushu, a full-contact sport derived from Chinese martial arts. As fate would have it, his face resembles that of the great Chinese actor as well, and adopting his famous bowl haircut made “Bruce Hazara” an almost perfect doppelganger. In the videos he has been putting up online, the Bruce Lee of Afghanistan can be seen wearing the same attire as the legendary actor, adopting the same stances, executing his famous moves and even replicating his iconic noises. It took him years of training, watching all his hero’s movies and reading books about him, but watching him perform, it’s

easy to see that it has all payed off. Some have described his resemblance to the real Bruce Lee as eerie, going as far as calling him a reincarnation of the great action hero. And for those who consider Abulfazl Abbas Shakoory just a knockoff, it’s worth mentioning that his martial arts prowess is genuine. In a recent Wushu tournament held in Kabul, the Afghan Bruce Lee ranked at the top of his category. Talking to Ruptly about his ambitions, he said “”I would like to be a sportsman and a champion for Afghanistan.”


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