How thin can you go? REAL thin and it all starts with the boiling of the inner barks of the kōzo plants. Fascinating!...
In Japan, one company is taking paper thinner than it’s ever been before. Hidaka Washi Ltd. creates paper as thin as human skin, using methods that date back a thousand years. The paper is then sent to museums and libraries around the world—including the British Museum and the Library of Congress—and is used to restore and protect books and works of art.
It must be really good for those who continue to risk their lives by eating this dish...
When Egypt’s Ministry of Health issues its annual warning to stay away from a local deadly delicacy called feseekh, you would think that most would comply. Instead, thousands flock to their local feseekh eateries every day to enjoy the traditional dish. Feseekh, or fermented mullet fish, can cause poisoning or even death if not prepared properly. That is why Ibrahim Shaheen, a local expert and maker of feseekh, takes extra care to make sure his fish are fermented properly. Using a technique that has been passed down his family for over 100 years, Shaheen carefully prepares the fish and sells it to restaurants all over Egypt. He understands the risk involved in eating and serving feseekh but for him, and countless others, the risk is worth the reward.
Watching movie trailers won't ever be the same again...
You’ve never seen his face, but you’d know those booming bass tones anywhere. With over 100 movie trailers under his belt, Redd Pepper is the voice behind all your favorite blockbuster hits. He’s voiced the trailers for movies like “Armageddon,” “The Blair Witch Project,” and “Space Jam.” His talents were first discovered over the intercom on the London Underground—now, he’s working alongside the likes of Steven Spielberg.
Look at them skin that tree! No one ever thinks about the cork - other than popping it. After watching this video, perhaps you'll think differently...
Uncorking a bottle of wine after a long day is one of the few true pleasures in life. But ever wonder where that small cork—aka the last thing standing between you and your favorite red—comes from? In Portugal, there’s a long and rich history of harvesting cork trees. Harvesters strip trees of their bark by hand, using a process that makes certain the tree remains alive and healthy. The method is so difficult that harvesters begin learning the trade from a young age, keeping up a skill passed down through the generations. So, the next time you kick back with a bottle of wine, give that pesky cork a second glance—its journey from bark to bottle is more surprising than you think.
In one of his many road trips to Morocco, Emile Leray (nicknamed the “Doctor of African Mechanics” by his friends) hit a roadblock ... literally. Well, actually it was a rock in the middle of the desert, but you get the idea. With his car’s front axel destroyed and a limited food supply, Leray faced an uncertain future. So what did he do? Engineered the ultimate DIY escape.
Remember this market? We've heard and seen videos of it before but one never gets tired of watching it...
In Samut Songkhram, about an hour outside Bangkok, is Maeklong Railway Market, one of the largest produce and seafood markets in Thailand. But beyond the selection of fresh fruit and fish, the market has become infamous for one thing—the train that runs directly through it. In 1905, the Maeklong Railway built a commuter train line through the center of the popular market. But rather than move, the vendors adapted to the new conditions, working around the train that passes through eight times a day, seven days a week.
Locked behind black steel doors in Northumberland, England, the Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle grows around 100 infamous killers. From deadly nightshade to hemlock, the only way a plant can take root in this garden is if it is lethal to humans. Created by the Duchess of Northumberland, this is one garden where you won't want to stop and smell the flowers.
Scuba diver Hiroyuki Arakawa and Yoriko are the unlikeliest of friends. While they both share a love for the sea, Yoriko's gills and tail make her a little more aquatically inclined. Nearly every day for the past 25 years, Arakawa has been diving into the waters of Hasama Underwater Park in Tateyama, Japan, to visit Yoriko—an Asian sheepshead wrasse. One day, Arakawa found her looking exhausted and carrying an injury. So he did what any friend would do: he took care of Yoriko, feeding her crabs and nursing her back to health. Their decades-long friendship is proof there's no greater bond than the one between man and fish.
Creative expression is part of what makes us human — why should that end after we've passed on? In Ghana, Anang Kwei and his children help the families of the deceased celebrate the lives of their loved ones with custom-made, handcrafted coffins. And when we say custom-made, we mean *custom.* From colorful fish to cars or tools, whatever a family wants to represent an aspect of the life that was, the Kweis will deliver a fantasy coffin made with care and exquisite craftsmanship.
