StepByStep Index

Snake Massage
Snake Massage: At Ada Barak's spa in northern Israel, snakes don't give people the creeps. They give deep-tissue massages. King and corn snakes are laid on people's backs, and for $80, they'll wriggle the kinks out of your spine.

Phuket Island Vegetarian Festival
Phuket Island Vegetarian Festival: Thailand's Vegetarian Festival traces its roots back to the early 1800s when miners began piercing their tongues, cheeks (and other parts of their body) to chase away evil spirits and bring good luck to the community.

Naked Clown Calendar
Naked Clown Calendar: San Francisco's Clown Conservatory is launching the Naked Clown Calendar to raise money for multiple sclerosis. The Class of 2008 was inspired by co-founder Judy Finelli.

Ohara Hadaka (Naked) Festival
Ohara Hadaka (Naked) Festival: Thousands of naked Japanese men carry ten portable shrines into the sea as part of the Ohara Hadaka Festival. It is all part of an ancient Shinto ritual that is meant to bring an abundant crop and prosperity to the townfolk.

Cosmopolitan Neutrogena Underwater Fashion Show
Underwater Fashion Show: Australian fashion plummeted to new depths at the Cosmopolitan Neutrogena Underwater Fashion Show. Forget SCUBA gear, models wore the fancy couture. But instead of strutting down a catwalk, they plunged into a nine-foot deep tank. Australian stars Kristian Schmid of "Sea Patrol," Jamie Wright, and "Biggest Loser" Trainer Shannan Ponton, took part in the show.

Attack of the 50-Foot Spider
You probably thought the Beatles would be the biggest insects-in-name-only to come out of Liverpool. Now, we find a three-story mechanical arachnid scuttling across one of Liverpool's biggest buildings. Like John, Paul, George and Ringo, this spider is bent on stardom.

Hells Angels Bulldog Bash
Hells Angels Bulldog Bash: More than 50,000 people -- including Hells Angels from all over the world -- for what has become Europe's No. 1 motorcycle festival. At the Shakespeare County Raceway in England, you'll find drag racing, "Wall of Death" stunt riding, Wet T-shirt contests and a topless bike wash.

Boobs on Bikes Parade
Boobs on Bikes Parade: Traffic in New Zealand's busiest city ground to a hault as 100,000 spectators watched the annual "Boobs on Bikes Parade." It's all part of Auckland's "Erotica Expo," Organized by pornographer Steve Crow. A few dozen protesters met the parade revelers, but they were far outnumberd by the men hanging on trees and snapping photos of topless porn stars.

Coney Island's Waterboard Thrill Ride
Waterboarding Thrill Ride at Coney Island: Steve Powers created a Coney Island attraction called the "Waterboard Thrill Ride." It's not really a ride, it's more of a peep show. And it turns one of the most controversial topics of the day, and plays it for satire

Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Edinburgh Fringe Festival: The world's largest, most diverse arts festival. Here's a look at the Lady Boys of Bangkok, the Jim Rose Circus, and other street performers.

Bush: America's Cheerleader-in-Chief at the Olympics
President Bush at Olympic Games: Every politician has tried to pass himself off as a sports-loving regular guy. President Bush might be lacking in other areas, but nobody doubts that he loves sports as much as he love the flag. Here he is with Mitt Romney, First Lady Laura and daughter Barbara at China's National Aquatics Center.

Coney Island's Mermaid Parade: Fun, Sun, Freakiness!
Coney Island's annual Mermaid Parade once again brought a colorful assortment of free-thinking -- and free-freaking -- New Yorkers. But 2008's parade was a bit different. With the city mulling radical redevelopment plans, the King and Queen of this years parade -- performance artists "Rev. Billy" Tallen and Savitri D. -- led protests to the project. They say the proposed shopping center, high-rise apartment building and condos would forever change this seaside resort.

Kids Clown (and Juggle Fire) at Circus City Festival
Would you let your kids play with fire? They do in Peru, Ind., the home of the Circus City Festival, in which 250 local kids, ages 7 to 21, fly from the trapeze, walk the high wire, and, yes, juggle fiery batons.

One-Eyed, Three-Legged Dog Wins Ugly Prize
Jeanenne Teed of St. Petersburg, Florida holds her one-eyed, three legged Chinese Crested dog named Gus before the start of the 20th Annual Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair June 20, 2008 in Petaluma, California. Owners of ugly dogs travel to Petaluma from all over the country to participate in the annual competition.

Ripley's 'Weirdest Party in Texas'
Ripley's San Antonio Odditorium -- the biggest and strangest Ripley's museum -- reopened in May -- with the "Weirdest Party in Texas." And while it's tempting to say that Ripley's publicists are shamelessly boasting to ballyhoo their new attraction, you're seldom going to see a fiesta like this.