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But THIS is what ya really gotta do in the water. Ok, HE's gotta do in the water...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:50:32 PDT

But THIS is what ya really gotta do in the water. Ok, HE's gotta do in the water. Us? You kiddin'? We don't care for the whole wet thing. Juggling, tho'....

WATCH: Triathlon Juggler Runs, Swims Bikes . . . And Almost Never Loses His Balls
www.huffingtonpost.com
If you ever tried to do a marathon or triathlon and failed, you have a good reason to hate Joe Salter, because he not only completed a triathlon, but did so while juggling the entire time -- even swimming. This 31-year-old public school counselor from Pensacola, Fla., pulled off the incredible achie...

Since we're playin' the whole mermaid thang today, hey, another pitch at it.

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:49:14 PDT

Since we're playin' the whole mermaid thang today, hey, another pitch at it.

WATCH: Mermaid Gives Birth
www.huffingtonpost.com
The mermaid legend has been around since before the Romans ruled the earth, and even back then, guys were asking the same question: How did these womanly fish have sex? It's a question that dogged filmmaker Charlie Foley when he started work on "Mermaid: The Body Found," a speculative documentary a...

Gotcha. (With thanks to @Doug Higley for this one.)

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:05:55 PDT

Gotcha. (With thanks to @Doug Higley for this one.)

Body Found on Beach | Mermaids
www.mefeedia.com
A boy and his friend examine the body of something on the shore. MERMAIDS PREMIERES SUNDAY, MAY 27, FROM 9-11PM E/P ONLY ON ANIMAL PLANET Part of Animal Planet's MONSTER WEEK

And as though straight from the Ripley's realm, there's this (with thanks to @To...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:05:01 PDT

And as though straight from the Ripley's realm, there's this (with thanks to @Todd Robbins for this damned amazing way to greet the day... with subtitles. And dubbing. And shadows.)

(Eng. Sub) Kumi Yamashita on Takeshi Kitano's "Unbelievable"
www.youtube.com
Takeshi Kitano profiles Kumi Yamashita in an "Unbelievable" TV special about Visual Artists. Aired 3/21/08 http://yamashitakumi.com/

And for our friends with taxidermy (read: 99% of you, we're sure), now for the t...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sun, 27 May 2012 15:18:01 PDT

And for our friends with taxidermy (read: 99% of you, we're sure), now for the thing other than mothballs (and WAY more expensive solutions) to keep the damn things from turning 100+yr. old taxi into, well, mush. (And no, what's pictured ain't what does it; you'll have to go through the slideshow for that... and it's worth it.)

Moth Problem? We Test 9 Ways To Get Rid Of Moths (PHOTOS)
www.stylelist.com
Though we're sure they have their reasons for existing, we consider moths to be the 'black sheep' cousin of butterflies. They have those dull wings, they eat our sweaters and they do things like lay eggs in carpets.

And since today seems to be just one big, um, feeding frenzy, when someone bring...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sun, 27 May 2012 13:06:19 PDT

And since today seems to be just one big, um, feeding frenzy, when someone brings up the old "Where's the beef," you can tell 'em, ala "Hy Stein," that bull's a young man's game. (And with thanks to @Inky Finklestein for this one.)

The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Curator, Is This Some Of Your Shenanigans?
circusnospin.blogspot.com
A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing i...

And because you simply can't make this stuff up. (And thanks to @Elizabeth Ander...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sun, 27 May 2012 12:59:37 PDT

And because you simply can't make this stuff up. (And thanks to @Elizabeth Anderson for this one.)

Amputated Frozen Leg / Japanese Love American Gay Porn Wrestling Star
www.youtube.com
Some dude kept the leg the doctor sawed off and is going to make a walking stick out of it. Plus, the Japanese are still in love with Billy Herrington, who s...

This one just in from S&A! artist @Mark Frierson. And we gotta tell ya, this is...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sun, 27 May 2012 12:39:48 PDT

This one just in from S&A! artist @Mark Frierson. And we gotta tell ya, this is a steal. Get it now or that's it: They're both gone, the camp's gone, and that's all she wrote. Buy buy or bye bye.

RARE Gibsonton Giant's Fish Camp OOAK Relics / Freak Circus Sideshow - NOT Gaff
www.ebay.com
RARE Gibsonton Giant's Fish Camp OOAK Relics / Freak Circus Sideshow - NOT Gaff in Collectibles, Historical Memorabilia, Fairs, Parks & Architecture | eBay

Ya know, there's a show in this somewhere. ("Gun grease"?!?)

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sun, 27 May 2012 12:38:38 PDT

Ya know, there's a show in this somewhere. ("Gun grease"?!?)

This Man Married A Sex Shop Mannequin
www.thefrisky.com
You never know where you'll meet the love of your life. Duaveed Hakhainhaguadole (say that five times fast!) met his beloved Clara at the Bad Behavior

And for all our zombie fans, we're sorry we ever doubted you. (But, like, appare...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:44:13 PDT

And for all our zombie fans, we're sorry we ever doubted you. (But, like, apparently, just shootin' 'em seems to work fine.)

Police Kill Naked Man Eating Another Man's Face: Report
www.huffingtonpost.com
One man is dead and another hospitalized after a bizarre incident off the MacArthur Causeway reportedly forced a police officer to open fire.

From such quirky things are attractions made.

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:19:33 PDT

From such quirky things are attractions made.

The Craziest Hidden Messages On $1, $20 Dollar Bills (PHOTOS)
www.huffingtonpost.com
What do you do when it's a slow news day on the Friday before a three-day weekend? We at HuffPost Money decided to investigate the contents of our wallets and YouTube.

And for the extended version, there's.... (yes, frogs; yes, literary connection;...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:54:17 PDT

And for the extended version, there's.... (yes, frogs; yes, literary connection; yes, show; win all 'round, no?)

The Jumping Frog Jubilee is an actual event people take seriously (23 Photos)
thechive.com

Everybody knows from Buffalo Bill's Wild West... at the expense of his HUGE comp...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:43:04 PDT

Everybody knows from Buffalo Bill's Wild West... at the expense of his HUGE competition, 101 Ranch. And thanks to @Inky Finklestein for this one. (Some killer, killer stuff in this blog, too, by the by.)

Miller Bros 101 #1 | The Circus Blog
www.thecircusblog.com
ererMiller Bros air calliope 1926. I think these three are the Miller brothers. The Miller Bros 101 Ranch photos that I am posting along with many if not most of the old circus photos. This is a first time visual event for me. The wonderment and the surprise that you receive when you take an old neg...

And since we're on a spook show sorta roll here...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:41:30 PDT

And since we're on a spook show sorta roll here...

A Real-Life Doctor Frankenstein?
www.huffingtonpost.com
Giovanni Aldini may not be a household name, but his contributions to science cannot be ignored. Neither can his macabre demonstrations of the power of electricity on the human body.

Didn't, like, 80bazillion sci-fi & sideshow types know about "Planet X" since, u...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:41:00 PDT

Didn't, like, 80bazillion sci-fi & sideshow types know about "Planet X" since, um, the '40s?

Unseen Object Lurks At Solar System's Edge, Scientist Conjectures
www.huffingtonpost.com
By: Natalie Wolchover Published: 05/22/2012 12:54 PM EDT on Lifes Little Mysteries A planet four times the size of Earth may be skirting the edges of the solar system beyond Pluto, according to new research. Too distant to be easily spotted by Earth-based telescopes, the unseen planet could be gravi...

Awwww, come on; the guy was just tryin' to start his own circus, and the celebra...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:13:04 PDT

Awwww, come on; the guy was just tryin' to start his own circus, and the celebration came before the actual success.

Drunk Man Arrested with a Zebra and A Parrot In Car | NewsFeed | TIME.com
newsfeed.time.com
It sounds like the start to a very bad joke: A drunk, a zebra and a parrot get into a car. What happened next, though, was no laughing matter, at least not for Jerald Reiter, who was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The rest of us can still chuckle, though.

And for all you spook show, haunt and horror flick fans (ok, it's all of ya), th...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:23:53 PDT

And for all you spook show, haunt and horror flick fans (ok, it's all of ya), there's this, with thanks to @Bill Thomas for this one.

Masters Of Horror A Documentary Hosted By Bruce Campbell
www.youtube.com
This documentary brings together some of Hollywood's masters of the horror genre, with clips of their most memorable and terrifying movie moments. MASTERS OF...

And for those of you who want to know from the REAL Coney Island, there's this,...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:58:11 PDT

And for those of you who want to know from the REAL Coney Island, there's this, with thanks - as always - to @Franck Cordes.

Coney Island : Unknown : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
archive.org
The great amusement zone in its heyday.

Note that they say this was not a stunt. Well, duh: You couldn't hardly get the...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:36:37 PDT

Note that they say this was not a stunt. Well, duh: You couldn't hardly get the Canadian Parks Commission to ok a stunt without a Prime Minister's permission. Just ask Nik Wallenda.

Man Becomes 3rd To Survive Plunge At Niagara Falls
www.huffingtonpost.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Authorities say a man plunged at least 180 feet over Niagara Falls and survived – only the third person known to have gone over without a safety device and lived. Niagara Parks Police say witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a railing at 10:20 a.m.

As Penn would say, very nicely done.

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:29:45 PDT

As Penn would say, very nicely done.

Easily the funniest magic trick i've ever seen - penn and teller
www.youtube.com
Follow Piff the Magic Dragon on twitter @thePiff or Facebook.com/piffthemagicdragon http://www.piffthemagicdragon.com/

When the Muppets were young and hip. Or beat. Or rad. Or cool. Hey, good, no?

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:20:27 PDT

When the Muppets were young and hip. Or beat. Or rad. Or cool. Hey, good, no?

Sam & Friends - Where Hunger Is From (color)
www.youtube.com
Lipsynched to a Ken Nordine word jazz track.

Jeez. And she coulda been such a great mentalist.

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:27:08 PDT

Jeez. And she coulda been such a great mentalist.

Video - You've Got Marilu Henner
www.aol.com
Video - Actress Marilu Henner discusses her Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). Henner learned she had this talent after being contacted by her friend and

Some interesting images herein, sure.

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:59:27 PDT

Some interesting images herein, sure.

Home - Nature Rarities and Human Oddities
freaks.monstrous.com

Considering that Lydia Thompson is considered by many as the creator of modern b...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:14:54 PDT

Considering that Lydia Thompson is considered by many as the creator of modern burlesque, it's nice to see a UK museum, no?

UK Burlesque Museum
The UK Burlesque Museum was founded by Lucinda Ryan and Mark Henderson in 2012. Created as a not for profit organization it’s aim is to celebrate and preserve British Burlesque Heritage. Created from a love and passion for the diverse and rich artform the Museum’s aim is to encourage engagement wi...

SHOW TIME! IT'S SHOW TIME! (And with thanks to @Matt Crowley for this one.)

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:51:19 PDT

SHOW TIME! IT'S SHOW TIME! (And with thanks to @Matt Crowley for this one.)

S.Korean, Russian scientists bid to clone mammoth
phys.org
Russian and South Korean scientists have signed a deal on joint research intended to recreate a woolly mammoth, an animal which last walked the earth some 10,000 years ago.

Seems to us - given what grief our friends in the gaff biz and the taxidermy ar...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:53:05 PDT

Seems to us - given what grief our friends in the gaff biz and the taxidermy arts go through on a regular basis as a result of ensuring they avoid legal troubles over what they "stuff" - that Ms. Anatharaman is courting disaster here, but hey, we been wrong before.

Look Alive: Fashionistas Get Game as Taxidermy Trend Lives On… And On
www.observer.com
Start The Slideshow On Saturday, the 28-year-old fashion designer Divya Anantharaman struck a coy pose in the doorway of her kitchen. “I’m going to take the bird out of the fridge so it gets to room temperature,” she breathed, as if the “bird” were perhaps a roasted turkey...

And not to belabor the baby part of this theme, but we here at S&A! prefer the s...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:46:24 PDT

And not to belabor the baby part of this theme, but we here at S&A! prefer the sideshow version - pickled punks - to this pretty ridiculous belief system. (Gold foil? WTF?)

Man Arrested for Smuggling Roasted Human Fetuses
news.yahoo.com
Sorry in advance for ruining a lovely Friday morning. There's pretty disturbing news coming out of Thailand where authorities have arrested a man for smuggling six roasted human fetuses in his luggage. (We said sorry!)

In sideshow lingo, that's a frog baby. In civilized lingo, she should've never b...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:38:25 PDT

In sideshow lingo, that's a frog baby. In civilized lingo, she should've never been kicked off here. Always remember what you own.... vs. who owns you.

Facebook Bans Mother For Posting Photos Of Terminally Ill Son
www.huffingtonpost.com
A mother has been banned from Facebook after posting images of her newborn son, reports KCTV 5 News. Parents Heather and Patrick Walker of Memphis, Tennessee welcomed their son Grayson James Walker on February 15, 2012, notes the Daily Mail.

Ok, so we lied: THIS is the last of the night. When burlesque was not quite what...

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:32:07 PDT

Ok, so we lied: THIS is the last of the night. When burlesque was not quite what you know of it today.

Exotic Dancers, 1890s
www.retronaut.co
... All images from the Charles McClaghy Collection Thank you to the Ohio State University Library

And lastly - for tonight anyway - this amazing bit of film. Bottoms up.

Shocked & Amazed: On and Off the Midway — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:21:48 PDT

And lastly - for tonight anyway - this amazing bit of film. Bottoms up.

High Diving Scene, 1901
www.retronaut.co
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti6pLjPlc8E ... Thank you to Punkologus