Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 257
August 12, 2019
August 11, 2019
August 10, 2019
The Beauty of The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Prim and proper are far from present for pooches arriving at the Sonoma-Marin Fair each June. Atypical from the poised, pedigree dog shows seen on television, the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest showcases the less-than-perfect appearances of its contestants.
For nearly 30 years, Petaluma, California, has hosted pups from near and far who are hoping to make a name for themselves as the World’s Ugliest Dog. While the title may not seem worthy of a five-foot trophy, the impact on the pet community proves otherwise.
Meeting the Puparazzi
While there is no formal documentation to signify the official contest debut, it’s believed that the competition began as a local community-building event and eventually made its way to the fairground, as a result of its growing popularity.
“In a world of marketing beauty… the true love for an animal, or anything, can get lost.” – Allison Keaney, CEO Sonoma-Marin Fair
Participant pre-show is a true testament of pampering and paparazzi. Pups and handlers begin with a backstage reception for some relaxation before being greeted by the press.
CC: Will Bucquoy Photography, courtesy of The Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center
The contest begins with a prideful walk-of-fame down the red carpet. Amidst judges, media, celebrities, and fans, these canines prove to be the true shining stars of the show.
At the end of the carpet, contestants are brought to the judges’ table for evaluation. Dogs are evaluated on first impression, originality, audience appeal, and natural ugliness. Decisions are truly in the eye of the beholder.
CC: Will Bucquoy Photography, courtesy of The Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center
Once a Top 3 has been established, the judges kick it over to the audience for determination of a winner. Measured by a round of applause, the first-place champion is crowned as the World’s Ugliest Dog.
Telling the Tail of Champions
Since the start of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, there have been many notable champions including World Record Holder, Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi won contests held in 1978, 1982-84, 1986-87 and 1991, giving her 7 total titles.
Other first-place recipients include Quasi Modo (2015), a hunchback, 10-year-old Pitbull-Dutch Shepherd mix; Walle (2013), a 4-year-old pup with an unusually large head and duck-like waddle; and Princess Abby (2010), a one-eyed Chihuahua with a back deformity.
2019 World’s Ugliest Dog Contest Winner, Scamp the Tramp
CC: Will Bucquoy Photography, courtesy of The Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center
This year’s winner was Scamp the Tramp, complete with big, bug-eyes and dreadlocked fur. His owner, Yvonne Morones, found Scamp on Pet Finder in 2014 and decided it was time for this Compton street-dog to come home.
Yvonne knew he was something special from the moment she met him, stating, “There we were, two strangers in a car on the way home to a new start. Bob Marley was playing One Love and I looked over and little Scamp was bobbing his head. It was like he knew he had found his forever home.”
Ain’t Nothing but a Pound Dog
In many cases, these winning mutts are rescued from shelters, abusive households, or puppy mills. Without their caregivers, many of them would have had incredibly short lives and, evidently, untapped potential.
As the contest continues to evolve, its mission holds true: all animals deserve to find a loving home. Creating these spokesdogs for adoption is just one facet of the pro-rescue mission, in addition to the Sonoma-Marin Fair’s “pet fest.”
On the morning of the contest, local vendors, veterinarians, and rescue organizations set up tables for discussion surrounding the importance of adoption, animal health, and other areas of pet expertise. This gives local specialists the opportunity to not only showcase their wares but educate fair-goers about the importance of this mission.
CC: Will Bucquoy Photography, courtesy of The Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center
Major Barking Rights
First place winners receive a five-and-a-half foot tall, three-tiered pink trophy, complete with the World’s Ugliest Dog logo, and some pocket change: $1,500. They also get more than just their five minutes of fame with a trip to New York and a seat alongside hosts of the Today Show.
Owner, Ann Lewis and 2019 2nd Place winner, Wild Thang
CC: Will Bucquoy Photography, courtesy of The Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center
Second place winners receive a $1,000 prize and third place $750. The greatest prize, however, is the generous contribution made by donors of the contest. Each finalist receives a prize match to donate to their animal charity of choice.
Owner, Molly Horgan and 2019 3rd Place winner, Tostito
CC: Will Bucquoy Photography, courtesy of The Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center
“The real spirit behind this competition is that every animal deserves a loving home. Every animal contributes to a family in some way, and the stories behind some of these little guys are amazing, they really are.” – Allison Keaney, CEO Sonoma-Marin Fair
The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest acts as a shining example of the fact that pups don’t have to be pedigree to be pawsitively perfect.
August 9, 2019
Atomik Vodka Made From Radioactive Chernobyl Grain
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This Week
[August 4-10th, 2019] Vodka from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, hoverboarding the English Channel, a robotic tail, and the rest of the week’s weird new from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Chernobyl Vodka
Teams of collaborating scientists from the UK and Ukraine have teamed up to produce vodka distilled using radioactive grain from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Even now, 33 years after the nuclear disaster, areas around Chernobyl remain dangerously radioactive. Calling their creation Atomik vodka, they assure buyers it’s completely safe to drink.
Copyright: University of Portsmouth
Flying With Power
Franky Zapata gained recent attention for making his own self-designed hoverboard. Unlike the ones from the Back to the Future franchise, Zapta’s board is jet-powered and capable of flying 65 feet in the air. To demonstrate the usefulness of his design, he successfully crossed the English Channel. Capable of reaching speeds of 110 miles-per-hour, the trip took a short 20 minutes with a small stop for fuel in the middle.
Don’t Stop Until You Drop
A 65-year-old resident of Nanchang COunty, China, was sent to the hospital after belting karaoke too hard. Belting ten high-pitched karaoke tunes in a row, he was sent to the hospital with a collapsed lung. When asked why he did it, he said he was caught up in the heat of the moment and could barely feel the pain in his chest.
Artificial Tongue
While some might think this is just another case of a robot taking a person’s job, researchers in Scotland who developed an artificial tongue say it can outperform its human counterparts. These robotic taste buds are programmed to taste whisky. Developers hope it will cut down on counterfeiting in the industry, without getting drunk tasting all the alcohol.
Digi-tails
Called the “Arque,” scientists have moved to what just might be the hot new wearable. Described as an artificial bio-mimicry tail, this interlocking series of plastic vertebrae is meant to improve human balance much the same way a tail does for arboreal monkeys. The tail can be shortened or lengthened depending on the size of the wearer, and the company hopes it will someday be used to help workers lift and balance heavy loads.
August 8, 2019
If Panama Hats Didn’t Originate In Panama, Where Are They From?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
It’s often a mystery where trends begin, end, and sometimes even begin again. In recent summers, beach-goers seem to be sporting the ever-so-stylish “Panama” hat. Little do they know, this oceanside accessory was actually created by the weavers and dealers of Ecuador—not Panama.
Locally known as “sombreros de paja toquilla,” or “hats of toquilla straw,” the hats originated in Ecuador but were initially sold and worn in Panama, giving the misconception of their name to trendsetters everywhere.
The History of the Hat
In the mid-1800s, Ecuador wasn’t a particularly popular tourist destination. But Panama, located a few hundred miles north, attracted many travelers. Ecuadorian craftsmen realized that they would be making more money if they sold their wares in a country with more visitors.
During the California gold rush, prospectors crossed the isthmus—linking Central and South America—on their way to California and purchased the hats for their journey. The men who built the Panama Canal donned the headwear while working under the equatorial sun, and the U.S. government purchased 50,000 Panama hats for troops during the Spanish-American War.
Theodore Roosevelt on board a steam shovel at the Panama Canal.
While the hats were initially favored by laborers, some celebrity endorsement made them popular all over the world. On November 16, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt was photographed wearing a black-banded Panama hat while touring the Panama Canal excavation. Soon after, everyone clamored to get their hands on one. Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Orson Welles, Ernest Hemingway, Paul Newman, and Winston Churchill also sported the up-and-coming accessory. The hats have even found a following among modern celebrities including Johnny Depp, Alycia Keys, and Javier Bardem.
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A post shared by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) on Jul 21, 2019 at 9:44am PDT
Shaping the Chapeau
While Panama hats appear to be simple in structure, their construction is rather intricate. It takes 30 steps to make a single hat; so detailed, in fact, that UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognized the process in 2012 by adding it to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The hats are made of palm-like plants called toquillas, which are native to the Ecuadorian coast. Their construction is linked to the lunar cycle. Each month there’s a period when the plant’s fibers are particularly dry, making them perfect for harvesting and turning into the popular accessory. Craftsmen make the brimmed straw hats by hand, painstakingly weaving the fiber to create the iconic headwear.
This process can take anywhere from one day to eight months, depending on a particular hat’s quality. Hats with more weaves per square inch and are made with fine, evenly-colored straw are considered the highest quality, making them a bit pricier. A truly deluxe Panama hat will have very thin and smooth rows in the crown and as many as 4,000 weaves per square inch.
For a Pretty Penny…
How much would you expect to pay for the finest Panama hat ever made? In 2008, master weaver, Simon Espinal, from the village of Pile in the Montecristi Canton of Ecuador, spent five months weaving a hat with the help of five additional artisans. The hat, commissioned by Brent Black of The Panama Hat Company, was valued at $100,000.
If you don’t have that kind of coin, fear not. You can purchase another true Montecristi Panama hat from Black’s company for a mere $25,000. Easy pocket change!
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source: If Panama Hats Didn’t Originate In Panama, Where Are They From?
August 7, 2019
August 6, 2019
The Lunacy Of Light Medicine: Spectro-Chrome Metry
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
While light may be beneficial in helping your body produce vitamin D, the healing properties of luminance were once promised to cure cancer, diabetes, and even gangrene.
Dinshah Ghadiali—honorary M.D., M.E., D.C., Ph.D., L.L.D., D. O.P.T., N.D., L.M.N.O.P.—invented the Spectro-Chrome Metry machine. As the chairman of the self-created Electro-Medical Hall, he certified that the device unlocked the medical secrets of using light to cure all sorts of diseases and afflictions.
Ghadiali was born in Bombay, India, in 1873. He served as an assistant to the Professor of Mathematics and Science at the nearby Wilson College. He reached a turning point in his medical career when he treated a friend’s niece. The story goes that traditional music had failed her, but Ghadiali had an alternative treatment in mind. He filtered the light of a kerosene lantern through indigo-colored glass, shining it on her. He also put milk in a blue bottle and let it sit in the sun, absorbing light. Allegedly, she was back on her feet in just three days.
This medical success put Ghadiali on a path to discover the “secrets” of chromopathy—healing with light.
By 1920, Ghadiali was ready to show his invention to the world. He began marketing his Spectro-Chrome box in New York. Establishing the Electro-Medical Hall, he trained an estimated 800 health professionals to use colored light to treat peoples’ medical conditions.
The box itself is made of aluminum and houses a 1,000-watt lightbulb. A timer on the side is turned as instructed per Ghadiali’s prescription and then colored glass, referred to as “Attuned Color Wave Slides,” is slid into place, making the light the color of your doctor’s choosing.
While a normal doctor might prescribe an insulin regiment to someone with diabetes, the Electro-Medical Hall said there was no need. Simply treat yourself with yellow light. If a wound became infected, green light was said to keep the gangrene away.
Legitimate doctors immediately took issue with Ghadiali’s teachings. He arrived on the scene when governments all over the world were dealing with an onslaught of medical gadgets and gizmos. Many of these devices weren’t for medical use at all, and others had no basis in scientific fact.
In 1924, the Journal for the American Medical Association dedicated an entire article to debunking Spectro-Chrome Metry. While many readers thought they were wasting their time debunking such a preposterous idea in the first place, medical doctors of the time had legitimate concerns. Ghadiali’s device was keeping people with serious medical issues from seeking help. Leaving tuberculosis, ovaritis, and syphilis untreated could spell long-term disaster for patients.
The head of the Electro-Medical Hall would go on to make over a million dollars on his devices, but not before many more brushes with the law. Oregon newspapers report he was arrested for engaging in a pistol battle in 1925. He was found in violation of the Mann Act—transporting a 19-year-old girl across state lines for “immoral purposes.” Given five years in prison, his sentence was commuted by President Herbert Hoover for helping prison services during a disease outbreak. He promptly returned to selling Spectro-Chrome Metry machines.
Ghadiali was later indicted in 1931 for defrauding customers and falsely representing the healing powers of Spectro-Chrome Metry. Though it seemed like an easy case at first for prosecutors, the doctor of light was able to produce three sterling medical witnesses that soon convinced the jury that light medicine had worked for them. He received a “not guilty” verdict.
It would take another 17 years before the FDA forced Ghadiali to dissociate himself from medicine.
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