Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 202
May 14, 2020
Beer Before Liquor Never Been Sicker?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
“Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor, never been sicker.” Right? Maybe not. Does the order of your alcoholic beverage consumption have any impact on your next-day headache?
First, the Basics
On average, the liver can only process one standard-sized drink per hour—that’s twelve ounces of beer, one shot of hard liquor (1.5 ounces), or five ounces of wine. That “serving size” from liquor to beer is quite a leap. That’s because liquor makes blood alcohol levels rise quicker than a beer, which is why people who consume liquor get tipsy quicker than those cracking cans of the cold stuff.
Different types of alcohol contain different amounts of compounds called congeners. Congeners are the minor chemical constituents that give a distinctive character to a particular wine or liquor. Plus, they’re responsible for some of the psychological effects of spirits.
So, what do congeners have to do with the liquor before beer debate? Basically, drinks with a higher congener level—your darker beverages such as brandy, whiskey, rum, and red wine—will increase hangover symptoms. Mixing different alcohols with different levels of congeners can increase stomach irritation (AKA, make you “sicker”). With any alcohol you choose to drink, your inhibition decreases causing you to think you are able to drink more.
Is It True?
There are many theories about where this “beer before liquor” phrase actually came from, but the most common hypothesis seems to stem from personal experience. Typically, people begin their evenings with casual drinks containing a lower alcohol content like beer or wine, and then make the switch to harder liquor if they continue their night out. As a result of this behavior, people often blame the “drinking order” for why they’re sick at the end of the night or terribly hungover in the morning.
Another theory is based on the idea that the high alcohol content of liquor is more likely to spike your blood alcohol levels in a short period of time, in comparison to beer. Finishing the evening with liquor after a few hours of drinking beer can push a person’s already elevated blood alcohol content over the edge, contributing to a hangover.
Despite these theories, what we do know for sure is that too much of any form of alcohol will eventually make you sick. It’s not what you drink, but rather how much you drink that will be the reason for your nasty hangover.
Just In Case…
If you do happen to find yourself in a “never sicker” situation, don’t reach for your favorite Starbucks drink. Instead, drink some Gatorade or a beverage containing electrolytes to counter the dehydration. Since coffee is a diuretic, it can actually make your hangover worse. Alcohol dehydrates you because your body stops producing the hormone that allows you to retain water, so it’s important to replenish your body with what’s missing!
By Michela Pantano, contributor for Ripleys.com
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May 13, 2020
A Pleistocene Era Sabertooth Tiger Cub Skull
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Sabertooth tigers lived in North and South America during the Pleistocene Era, which began about 2.6 million years ago. However, it was at the end of the Pleistocene, about 12,000 years ago, that these megafaunas–more simply known as “big animals”–became extinct. This was called the Quaternary extinction, which also took out animals such as the Wooly mammoth, giant ground sloths, and many more.
When the Ice Age occurred, tar pits formed in the landscape of their territory. The tigers would become stuck, causing them to sink into the asphalt and eventually die.
After thousands of years of evolution and environmental changes, it’s no surprise that there are a few differences between the sabertooth tigers and the tigers we are familiar with today. First and foremost, sabertooth tigers were massive. If you need a comparison, imagine this: Picture a lion. Now, take that ordinary lion and double its size. That what you could expect to see from a sabertooth tiger.
Some of their found skulls have ranged from 15 to 20 inches long! Some university researchers say that sabertooth tigers scaled around 1000 pounds, suggesting it was quite possible they were able to take down giant plant-eaters as heavy as pickup trucks! Tigers today can’t hunt anything beyond their own size as they kill by breaking the necks and strangling their prey.
Their build was a bit different from today’s tigers as well. Sabertooth tigers had a short tail and a heavy, muscular build which helped them trap and attack their prey, unlike the slow stalk-and-chase-down method used by today’s tigers.
Now you may be wondering where the “tooth” in Sabertooth comes from. The scientific name for a sabertooth tiger is Smilodon fatalis, meaning “deadly knife tooth.” These tigers are known for their distinctive pair of long canines that could grow up to 8 inches long! Their jaws could open over 120 degrees–twice the size of a modern-day tiger.
The purpose of their extremely large fangs hasn’t been completely proven. Here’s what most scientists think after looking more closely at the texture of the tooth’s surface. The wear on their tooth resembled closely to those of a present-day African lion, which sometimes crush bone when they eat. However, they didn’t have the same wear as living hyenas that consume entire carcasses, including bones. Therefore, researchers believe the animals were not gnawing their prey to the bone.
Like us humans, sabertooth tiger cubs lost their baby teeth too! Cubs had small canines that were shed when they reached around 20 months of age. By the age of about three, these young sabertooth tigers had their fully-formed eight-inch adult canines.
By Michela Pantano, contributor for Ripleys.com
The Tropical Plant That Thrives On Shrew Poo
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Sunlight and soil? That’s not all plants need to survive! In fact, some plants actually require some “meat” in their stems! Pitcher plants, for example, provide the perfect depiction of a carnivorous plant. With leaves known as pitfall traps, their prey-trapping mechanism is essentially a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid.
And while many pitcher plants digest ants and other insects to meet their nutritional needs, one type, known as Nepenthes lowii, goes for a far more unconventional diet. They actually “eat” shrew feces on a regular basis.
Believe It or Not!, the fecal matter of a shrew actually serves as a source of nitrogen for the jug-shaped, carnivorous plant. If you’re looking for that mutually symbiotic relationship, this one is truly win-win for both parties: a toilet for the mammal and a nutrient for the aerial pitcher plant. In fact, these particular pitcher plants get between 57 and 100 percent of their nitrogen from shrew feces!
A team of researchers observed the phenomenon on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. They discovered that mature N. lowii plants adhere themselves to vines and wind up above the ground where they can act as feces depositories. The pitcher section of their system is so large that it can hold about a half-gallon of water (and apparently quite a bit of poo, too).
Mountain shrews, in particular, enjoy licking nectar from the plant’s leaves while simultaneously defecating into its wide opening. And if this behavior wasn’t peculiar enough, scientists recorded video of the animals actually leaving their scent on the plants by rubbing their genitals on the lids. The shrews also returned to the same plants time and again. We’ve heard of dogs marking their territory, but these guys take it to a whole other level.
CC: Ch’ien C. Lee
What’s even more interesting is that the shape of the pitcher plant is designed to make things comfortable for the shrew (after all, humans have squatty potties; shrews should have comfy toilets too!) Essentially, a shrew maneuvers its rear-end over the plant’s orifice while it licks the sugar from its lid. The feces eventually wash away into the funnel-shaped plant when it rains, keeping it clean. Sounds better than a port-a-potty!
According to scientists, insect prey is scarce in the mountainous region, so the plant adapted to survive. The nitrogen-rich feces enables it to grow, and fortunately, there are an abundance of shrews in Borneo’s high-altitude environment.
In case you were wondering, N. lowii isn’t the only pitcher plant that has an animal partnership. The N. hemsleyana allows wooly bats to seek shelter in its body and feeds off its droppings. “This is considered a mutualism, because the bat provides poop to the plant, and the plant provides a roost for the bat,” according to Patty Jones, assistant professor of biology at Bowdoin College.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
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May 12, 2020
May 11, 2020
Japanese Culture Easter Eggs In Animal Crossing
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Did you know that Nintendo’s Animal Crossing has sold 2.32 million copies? Or that more than 13.4 million units of its latest version, Animal Crossing: New Horizons (released on March 20th), have already been purchased? Animal Crossing first debuted in 2001 as a life simulation. Its latest version remains as idyllic as the original.
In other words, this sim represents the perfect escape for people in the grip of a global pandemic. You assume the role of a cherubic human in a town filled with happy, anthropomorphic creatures. Then, you spend your days catching bugs, picking fruit, and fishing. Not a terrible way to pass a quarantine, right?
What you may not know, however, is that the game contains plenty of Easter eggs from Japanese culture. Let’s explore the most obvious and interesting ones.
Resident Tanukis
Animal Crossing: New Horizons includes eagles, horses, alligators, hamsters, and even hippos. However, some characters in the game are uncompromisingly Japanese, like Tom Nook, Timmy Nook, and Tommy Nook. At first glance, the Nooks look like raccoons to most game players. But they’re actually Japanese raccoon dogs or Tanukis, animals with a long-standing folkloric history.
Timmy & Tommy Nook Animal Crossing: New Horizons || Japanese Tanuki
In Japan, the tanuki is both a symbol of wealth and a trickster like coyotes in Native American culture. Traditionally, tanuki had enormous testicles, which they could knead into fishing nets, raincoats, or other objects as needed. (Handy, right?) Of course, you won’t find these characters well-endowed in the game (it’s kid-friendly, after all!), but the supernatural industriousness of these mythic animals remains intact.
As local real-estate tycoons and shopkeepers, they never seem to run out of money. You’ll also notice that your items magically appear as leaves in Animal Crossing. That’s a nod to the mythic tanuki’s powers of metamorphosis, thanks to their use of magical leaves.
Kabuki the Cat?
Like the Nooks, Kabuki returns in New Horizon as the cranky tomcat covered in red face paint. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to hear his rendition of “Bubblegum K.K.” (Impatient types can check it out here.) The fact this grumpy little cat sings shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, he’s the namesake for one of Japan’s most ancient dramatic artforms, Kabuki Theater.
Kabuki Theater is a form of classical Japanese dance-drama showcasing highly stylized mime, dance, and song. Performed only by male actors, it relies on exaggerated body movements and gestures to express emotions. Kabuki Theater performers also wear elaborate white, red, and black makeup, resembling red flames and lines on their faces and bodies. It’s no coincidence that the patterns on Kabuki’s body look like those of these actors.
Coco and the Haniwa
If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Coco is a weird-looking rabbit,” you don’t know the half of it! With her black holes for eyes and a mouth, something appears amiss with this bunny. What’s more, her name evokes the terrifying myth of Coco, the child-eater. A demonic spirit associated with the Bogeyman, Coco hunted down and devoured disobedient kids.
Haniwa statues
Coco’s strange appearance is also reminiscent of haniwa, ritualistic clay figures buried with the dead in Japan. According to legend, the figures invited deceased spirits to inhabit them. Although Coco proves a pleasant character that wouldn’t harm a mouse, everything points to the fact she’s undead.
Kapp’n the Turtle… Not!
In Japanese folklore, kappas or demons preyed on children near lakes and rivers. Their name represents a combination of two words kawa (river) and wappa (child), and they are said to lure people into water and then pull them under. Hanzaki or Japanese giant salamanders, predators that prey on smaller animals by grabbing them with their powerful jaws, inspired kappa folklore.
A statue of Kappa or Kawatora, Japanese devil: an amphibious yōkai demon found in traditional Japanese folklore.
Like tanukis, kappas often play the role of the trickster, but their “tricks” range from the innocent to the downright malevolent (e.g., drowning victims, eating human flesh, kidnapping kids). As it turns out, the Animal Crossing franchise also includes a nod to the kappa in the form of Kapp’n. Although he refers to himself as a “turtle,” he is, indeed, a kappa. This fact makes his role as the ferryman all the creepier. Although Kapp’n doesn’t appear in New Horizon, fan outcry may lead to his return in future updates or versions of the game.
Redd and the Kitsune
Unlike Kapp’n, Redd (a.k.a. Jolly Redd, Crazy Redd, and Cousin Redd) makes a return in New Horizons as the shady furniture shop owner and purveyor of fake artwork. Why all the names? When you run a murky storefront with questionable business practices, you need an alias or three.
A callback to the Japanese folkloric character of the fox or kitsune, Redd personifies some of this folkloric creature’s traits through his less-than-honest business dealings. According to legend, kitsunes exhibited an expert ability to trick others. In some tales, they even go so far as to shapeshift into men or women, taking on roles as loyal friends, lovers, or even spouses.
Lucky Cats
First introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World, the Lucky Cat Series (a.k.a. Welcome Kitty Set) consists of four furniture items to spruce up your virtual home. These cute kitties hearken back to the Japanese Maneki-neko (literally “beckoning cat”), believed to endow properties with good luck. You’ll often see them displayed outside businesses in Japan, such as restaurants, parlors, laundromats, and salons. Maneki-nekos come in a variety of colors and degrees of ornateness.
In Animal Crossing, the set of four includes two white cats, a black cat, and a gold cat. Their coloring and paw placement endows each one with special meaning. For example, the white cat with the raised right paw symbolizes good fortune and wealth. The white cat with the left paw up is thought to bring in more customers. Both white cats are also associated with positive energy, purity, and happiness. The black cat repels bad people and evil. Last but not least, the golden cat attracts prosperity and wealth.
Bamboo Forests
Besides animals, New Horizon also contains nods to iconic Japanese flora. Game makers introduced bamboo in the previous version of the game, Animal Crossing: New Leaf. In that game, you could procure the plant from Leif, the Sloth character. Locating the plant has expanded in New Horizons with plenty of opportunities to find it on mysterious islands accessible from the seaplane port of your island.
Once you’ve cultivated your bamboo into mature plants, you can dig around the stalks to harvest bamboo shoots, either selling them or using them to grow more bamboo. Since New Horizons also comes with more land and chances to design ponds and dirt paths, you can cultivate a bamboo forest just like the real ones towering majestically near Kyoto and Tokyo.
Cherry Blossom Festivals and Bento Boxes
Every year, when the cherry blossoms (sakura) bloom, festivals take place in Japan, where visitors partake in hanami or the pastime of viewing flowers. Cherry blossom festivals are an essential custom in Japan, so much so that local news includes hanami forecasts. These forecasts clue readers in on the best time to view the blossoming trees in various parts of the country.
Animal Crossing involves living and working on a tropical island that changes seasonally. That’s why the game begins by asking players which hemisphere they live in, thereby keeping seasonal changes accurate. For those located in the Northern hemisphere, you’ll experience cherry blossom season at the same time as in Japan. To commemorate this event, you’ll receive a special limited-edition DIY recipe for creating a hanami picnic.
How does it work? Use your net to collect falling sakura petals. For every ten cherry-blossom petals that you get, you’ll receive a bento box filled with sandwiches, fruits, a packet of chips, and some orange juice. While there are several other recipes in New Horizon that rely on cherry blossoms, the hanami picnic complete with Bento boxes is just about as Japanese as it gets.
Japanese Easter Eggs in Animal Crossing
From the tanuki to the kitsune, there’s more to the cute animals in Animal Crossing: New Horizons than you may realize at first glance. Some of them even have bizarre and, quite frankly, terrifying backstories, like Coco and Kapp’n. Nonetheless, the game remains a fun, whimsical nod to Japanese culture. It even contains futuristic toilets for the post-hanami picnic party. But that’s a story for another time.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
May 10, 2020
May 9, 2020
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