Smart people don't eat anything in Japan...

Smart people don't eat anything in Japan...because their food speaks. What does it say? It tells them random facts.

Yes, it's true. Proof? Check out one of the (slightly disturbing) trivia videos I found on BuzzFeed:



And there are a bunch of them, and they share random facts like that a flamingo's mothers milk is red, a squid has three hearts and that Mandarin ducks break up once they finish their nest. I checked it out... they are true. I'm not really sure how I feel about this - I'm half intrigued, half creeeeped out.

Turns out Mameshiba are not really talking food - they are just little dog faced bean creatures (kinda like Hello Kitty or Pokemon) that like to hide in what you are about to eat and share knowledge with you.

To see more, visit their the Mameshiba YouTube channel.

Tomato juice does not remove the smell of a skunk

Tomato juice does not remove the smell of a skunk, it just masks it. The only way to really remove a skunk's spray is through oxidation - basically removing the odor from the skin though the chemical process of removing one compound (skunk stink) from another (your skin).

But if you're not keen on conducting science experiments on you or your pet, you can try the tomato sauce method - and here's how to do it.

1. Remove stinky clothes (assuming that you were wearing them) - you could try to bleach them, but your best bet is throwing them away, far far away
2. Fill a bathtub with water and enter it
3. Wash yourself off with soap (carbolic is best) to remove dirt and maybe some smell
4. Next wash yourself with equal parts vinegar and water
5. Get a large amount of tomato juice, like you might have to Costco it, and pour it all over your body
6. If you still smell, rinse and repeat

Generally I avoid skunks when I can, I saw one while walking along the Hudson in Edgewater last night, and I contemplated jumping into the river. I had never seen one so close (alive) and it was kinda cute. Some people think they are really cute and even turn them into pets.



No worries - that one is descented. Interested? To find your own black and white buddy visit OOPS, or Owners of Pet Skunks.

Candy Land was created as a treament for Polio

Candy Land was created in 1949 as a treatment for Polio , not for the physical illness, but for mental health. Sick children who played the game were able to take their mind off of their sickness and fly away to another world - a delicious world of candy!

Sixty years later, the world of candy is still helping children in need - to celebrate Candy Land's birthday, Hasbro invited children from a local hospital to play the game on a life sized board down the crookedest street in the world - Lombard Street, in San Francisco. Check it out:



How could you NOT love Candy Land? With an age range of 1 - 100 and a setup time of under 3 min, its truly a game for everyone - well accept if you are color blind, then you might need a friend to help (but you can still play!). I remember playing as a kid, and while I always wanted to look like Queen Frostine, my favorite character had to be Gloppy the molasses monster.



Look how happy he is! Not a care in the world...but melting.

Who is your favorite Candy Land character?

Nine out of 10 U.S. bills are covered in "blow"

Nine out of 10 U.S. bills are covered in "blow," or cocaine, according to a recent CNN article featuring data released by the American Chemical Society.


What. Really? That can't be true, you think. It is, and it gets worse. In the following highly populated urban areas - Detroit, Michigan; Boston, Massachusetts; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; Los Angeles, California - 100% of U.S. bills contained traces of cocaine.

Oh my. Wash your hands. Don't eat money.



It can't be that every American is using illegal drugs - so how did it get there? The majority of bills are contaminated when being used in drug transactions and as a tool to inhale the toxic powder (hugs not drugs!). The money then gets passed around, through restaurants, ATMs, stores etc. bringing the residue with it. Thankfully the amount on each bill is not enough to be a health risk.

The American Chemical Society also reported that $1 bills were the least likely to contain traces of residue because drugs are much more expensive than that (see Dope Wars - great game).



This information is eyeopening to the problem of drug use in America. Maybe one day we can be like Zhuzhou, China where money is 100% cocaine free.

Are you a mosquito magnet? Blame your mother...

Are you a mosquito magnet? Blame your mother...(or father) 85% of what attracts mosquitoes to you is hereditary. One of the hereditary traits that will make you more attractive to the flying bloodsuckers is your cholesterol, not necessarily high cholesterol, but the amount in the top layer of your skin.



Gross.


They are also attracted to people who omit high levels of certain acids, carbon dioxide - the bigger you are, the more you omit - and steroids (so maybe lay off the juice). When it comes to their dinner, mosquito taste is only skin deep, and they will track their specific victim from up to 50 meters (164 ft) away.

Mosquitoes have been on the planet for over 170 MILLION years, and have evolved into over 175 versions, each more terrible than the last. Clearly, they are not going anywhere.


They even look stupid.


SO. What can you do?

To prevent bites...
*Stop running around. The more you move, the more you breathe, the more carbon dioxide you omit. Sweating doesn't help either.

*Use bug spray with DEET in it. Yeah it's a poison, but how else do you expect to get rid of something that survived DINOSAURS.

*Invest in an electric tennis racket. I have one, and its quite fun (I hope PETA doesn't count insects as animals).



*Eliminate standing water around your home - that's where the demons multiply.

*Cover yourself. The more you wear, the less skin to bite (sorry prostatots)

I heard that keeping a dryer sheet in your pocket keeps insects away. It doesn't, I tried.

Once you have been bitten...
*To treat topically, try using some cortisone cream

*To treat orally, try taking an antihistamine.


Note, do not actually blame your mother or father. They are probably being bitten too.

Doggy paddle was the first swimming stroke

Doggy paddle was the first swimming stroke, thought to have originated by early beings mimicking the technique of animals. It is one of the easiest strokes, and is the first style taught to children when learning to swim.

In case you never learned, or forgot, here is how it goes.

1. Get in water
2. Lay belly down with head out of the water (great for keeping hair pretty)
3. Cup hands and move (frantically) in a circular motion
4. Kick legs
5. Move forward in water (if sinking occurs, acquire swimmies and return to step 2 )

And now, a demonstration:



Note that Encyclopedia Branigan videos are now housed on YouTube - Check them out on the TheLBranigan channel