Fix it! Martine Postma of Holland was concerned that Dutch people tend to throw things out, even if the items can be repaired. She set up a shop in Amsterdam called the Repair Café where people can bring broken items to be fixed by a knowledgeable volunteer. Her idea caught on and there are now over 30 Repair Cafés across the country, with more being planned. They are set up in rented venues and are open anywhere from once a month to twice a week. Items that get fixed include everything from electronics, furniture, toys and clothing items.

Odd job: A man in Pakistan has one of the oddest jobs available. He plays the role of Mumtaz Begum Africa Wali, a mythical creature that has the head of a woman and the body of a fox. The creature is one of the attractions at the Karachi Zoo and is currently being played by a man named Murad Ali, who took over the job after his father retired. For the part, Ali applies makeup and dons a head scarf. He pops his head up through a hole in the display table beside a stuffed fox, giving the illusion that the fox has a woman’s head. Muntaz Begum then entertains visitors by telling stories.

Desert wonder: When people think of a desert, the Sahara Desert often comes to mind. However, there is a geological area in Japan that, while not technically a desert, most certainly resembles one. It is called the Tottori Sand Dunes and is located in Tottori Prefecture. The area gets too much rainfall for it to be considered a true desert, but the 1.2 x 10 mile area contains high dunes and steep slopes. Sand boarders like to use the slopes to practice their sport, while others come just to experience the intriguing landscape.

Iron zoo: An American couple living near Marshfield, Wisconsin have created a tourist attraction in their own yard that has been dubbed “Jurustic Park.” Clyde and Nancy Wynia make sculptures out of pieces of metal which are welded together to create fanciful creatures, such as dragons, crabs, mosquitoes, spiders and turtles. It all started with an iron bird that Clyde made and hung from a tree. Now the yard is adorned with more than 250 sculptures viewed by thousands of visitors each year from the United States, as well as from many other countries.