FIVE THINGS YOU
SHOULD NEVER DO IN
A FOREIGN COUNTRY
In the United States, you don’t place the American flag on the ground. Similar rules of decorum apply in foreign lands...or else.
1. Never order a “Black and Tan” in a pub in Ireland.
A Black and Tan, typically served in a pint glass, is a combination of English ale and Irish stout. While any bartender in America would be happy to prepare one for you without batting an eye, don’t even think about ordering one in Ireland. When poured together, the two beers refuse to mix (the stout floats on top of the ale)—which serves as a metaphor for the bitterness that still simmers between Ireland and the United Kingdom. “Black and Tan” was also a derogatory term for members of the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, a black-and-khaki-clad English brigade sent to suppress Irish rebels in the 1920s.
2. Never shake hands with your left hand in Saudi Arabia.
According to Islamic tradition, the prophet Muhammad commanded people to eat and drink with their right hand only. “The Shayatan [a demon] eats with his left and drinks with his left hand,” he wrote. The rule still applies in Muslim areas, such as Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and parts of Northern Africa. The left hand is considered “unhygienic” since it’s typically used to clean oneself after using the bathroom, especially in rural areas where toilet paper can be hard to come by. For the same reason, it’s also considered rude to eat with the left hand or gesture towards others with it.
3. Never place a business card in your back pocket in Japan.
Japan applies rigid traditions to everything from the placement of chopsticks after eating rice to how elderly people should be greeted at the dinner table. Similarly staunch etiquette is applied when exchanging business cards—they should be stored in card holders and must be given and accepted with both hands. If you receive one, you’re expected to immediately look it over and admire it. During meetings, the card should be placed respectfully on the table in front of you. Afterward, it should be carefully stored in a holder and never, ever, placed in a back pocket or written on.
Over easy: A mother hen turns her egg nearly 50 times a day.
4. Never ask for a “fanny pack” in Australia.
In Australia, “fanny” is a slang term for female genitals. The touristy belt bag Americans call a “fanny pack” is usually called a “bum bag” in Australia. Additionally, avoid telling an Australian what sports teams you “root” for back home—“root” is a vulgar term for sexual intercourse, equatable with the F-word. (And if you’re fed a nice meal, don’t say you’re “stuffed” at the end, as in Australia that means “sexually satisfied.”)
5. Never wear a #24 football jersey in Brazil
The number 24 is negatively associated with homosexuality in Brazil. Giving a gift with that number on it (for example, a DVD box set of the Kiefer Sutherland TV series 24) might lead to a fist-fight if the receiver is sensitive about such matters. The roots of this taboo lie in an illegal but still popular lottery game called Jogo do Bicho (“the animal game”), typically organized by local crime gangs. Cards used in the game feature drawings of 25 animals, with deer as the 24th on the list. In Brazilian culture, deer are pejoratively associated with homosexuals. Males born on the 24th day of the month are often subjected to jokes and taunts. Athletes also avoid putting the number on their jerseys.
BOSTON’S FAVORITE CITY: ST. LOUIS
• The Boston Celtics won their first NBA championship in 1957. They defeated the St. Louis Hawks.
• The New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl in 2002. They defeated the St. Louis Rams.
• The Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years in 2004. They defeated the St. Louis Cardinals.
Warner Brothers Corset Company’s claim to fame: creating the bra-cup sizing system (1935).
JINGLE FEVER
You might not hear them as much anymore, but songs from commercials are a serious part of the soundtrack of pop culture. Here are the stories behind some of the most famous ones.
Product: Folgers Coffee
Jingle: “The best part of wakin’ up / is Folgers in your cup”
Story: Singer Leslie Pearl had one minor hit in 1982—“If the Love Fits Wear It,” which hit #28 on the pop chart. After that, she moved into songwriting. Among her compositions are “You Never Gave Up On Me,” a Top-5 country hit for Crystal Gayle; and “Girls Can Get It,” a Top-40 hit for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. After that, Pearl moved into jingle writing. In 1984 she wrote the most-played and most-famous song of her career: a jingle for Folgers canned coffee. It’s been used in ads for more than 25 years, making it one of the longest-running jingles of all time.
Product: Old Spice aftershave
Jingle: Whistling
Story: Since the mid-1990s, Old Spice commercials have used just six whistled notes, but that six-note melody was originally the ending of an earlier jingle called “The Old Spice Sea Chanty,” written in 1953 and used for decades. (Sample lyrics: “‘Old Spice means quality,’ said the Captain to the Bosun / Ask for the package with the ship that sails the ocean.”) Veteran jingle writer Ginger Johnson borrowed the melody from an old Scottish bagpipe folk song called “Scotland the Brave.” The whistling was performed by jazz musician Jean “Toots” Thielemans, who also provided the whistling in the theme song of The Andy Griffith Show and played the harmonica on the Sesame Street theme song.
Product: Oscar Mayer wieners
Jingle: “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener...”
How about you? Approximately 80% of babies are born with at least one birthmark.
Story: Richard Trentlage was a struggling songwriter in 1963, when he heard about a jingle contest being held by Oscar Mayer. Contestants composed original jingles for Oscar Mayer hot dogs; the winner’s song would be used in commercials. Unfortunately, Trentlage found out about the contest only the day before entries were due. Fortunately, it took him just a few minutes (on a banjo-ukulele) to write: “Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener / that is what I’d truly like to be / ’Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener / everyone would be in love with me.” Trentlage won, of course; his jingle is still in use.
Product: Tootsie Roll
Jingle: “The world looks mighty good to me / ’cause Tootsie Rolls are all I see...”
Story: In 1976 a 13-year-old boy and his 9-year-old sister were hired to sing the Tootsie Roll tune. They weren’t professional singers—their parents were friends of the jingle’s writer. It took an entire day to record the song at a Manhattan recording studio, mainly because the adolescent boy’s voice kept cracking. Finally, the mid-jingle solo (“whatever it is I think I see / becomes a Tootsie Roll to me”) was given to the girl, Rebecca Jane. (Her brother’s name was never released.) The song was used in Tootsie Roll advertising for more than 20 years, but the singers were paid only $50 each for the day’s work and that’s all they ever made.
Product: Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars
Jingle: “Sometimes you feel like a nut / sometimes you don’t”
Story: One of the biggest purveyors of late ’60s bubblegum music was Super K Productions. The label’s lead producer and songwriter was Joey Levine, who was also the lead singer for the company’s anonymous studio creations, the Ohio Express (“Yummy Yummy Yummy”) and Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestra (“Run Joey Run”). Levine knew how to write a catchy tune, so in 1969, he formed a jingle-writing service called Crushing Enterprises. The first jingle he sold was for Peter Paul’s line of candy bars. After that, he wrote some of the most memorable jingles of the last 30 years, including “Just for the taste of it—Diet Coke,” “You asked for it, you got it, Toyota,” “Come see the softer side of Sears,” “The heartbeat of America, that’s today’s Chevrolet,” and “Who’s that kid with the Oreo cookie?”
“Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” —Napoleon
ARACHNOPHOBIA!
These
spider facts are more scared of you than you are of them.
SPIDERS ARE SNEAKY! Ever seen a newborn spider? No? That’s because they’re colorless (and tiny), making them virtually invisible to predators...and you. Hundreds can colonize your home and by the time you realize it, they’re all fully grown.
THEY CAN SEE YOU! Most spiders have eight eyes and will see you coming. However, if you venture underground, many cave-dwelling species will not see you...because they have no eyes. But their other senses are so heightened that they’ll know you’re there long before you know they’re there.
THEY’RE FAST! In a split second, the jumping spider can jump 20 times its own length to catch prey, but it doesn’t have any leg muscles. How does it do it? By increasing its blood pressure to the point where if the spider didn’t jump, it would explode.
THEY’RE CUNNING! The Bolas spider “fishes” for large, flying insects by spinning a sticky ball at the end of a line of silk. Then it hangs the ball from the web to catch a bug...and reels it in.
THEY’LL TRAP YOU! The female Darwin’s bark spider, native to Madagascar, spins the world’s largest and strongest web. It can span more than 80 feet (some even cross rivers). Her silk is the strongest biological material in existence—three times stronger than Kevlar, the material used in bulletproof vests.
THEY’LL STAB YOU! Tarantulas have barbed urticating hairs on their abdomens. When threatened, they use their legs to “kick” these hairs into the eyes of their attacker.
THEY WILL DESTROY YOUR MANHOOD! The Brazilian wandering spider is the most venomous in the world. It’s hairy, five inches long, and if it bites a man, the toxin has a Viagra-like effect. That lasts for several hours, is extremely painful, and if the toxin doesn’t kill him, will render him impotent.
Dam! Beavers can hold their breath underwater for 45 minutes.
KNOTTY BUOY
Apparently, once you’ve earned enough money to buy a boat, you’ve also develop a really corny sense of humor. These are all real boat names.
Aboat Time
Let’s Get Naughty-Cal
Sailing Solution
Sea Cups
Mr. Tip-Sea
Devocean
Meals on Reels
Rich Craft
Sea Ya
Cirrhosis of the River
Incredible Hull
Campbell’s Sloop
Dream Boat
Water Logged
A Yacht of Fun
What’s Up, Dock?
Row vs. Wade
Channel Surfer
One Moor Time
Naut Fast Enuff
More Than We Can Afford
Knotty Buoy
Ship Happens
Just a Splash
Fin-Addict
Pilots of Penzance
Fraid Knot
Motion Granted
Baits Motel
College Fund
Reelin’ Good
Positive Lattitude
A Fishin’ Sea
Heirless
Empty Nest
Grounds for Divorce
Big appetite: Giant anteaters eat about 30,000 ants a day.
HEARTBREAK HOTELS
Sometimes there’s a good reason that grand schemes fail.
SAN-ZHI POD VILLAGE
The Original Plan: In 1978 the Taiwanese government built a futuristic-looking vacation resort on Taiwan’s northern coast—a place for wealthy visitors from Taipei to escape into space-age luxury. Each “building” consisted of eight yellow, green, pink, or blue fiberglass pods attached to a central cement tower, looking like an armada of UFOs. The towers surrounded a man-made lake; a massive dragon sculpture guarded the resort’s entrance.
What Happened: Several fatal accidents delayed, and then halted, construction. Stories spread that the project was cursed. Why? The dragon was angry. (To widen the road at the entrance, developers had to split the statue in half.) Then the 1980s real estate bubble burst, and money for second homes dried up. The half-finished San-Zhi turned into a ghost town: The vibrant colors of the pods faded and the buildings began to collapse. Locals claimed that the spirits of the workers who’d died during construction lingered among the ruins, unable to pass on. For more than 30 years, the broken dragon guarded the ruins until the pods were demolished in 2009 to make way for a new vacation resort.
THE IRVING CLIFF HOTEL
Background: In 1841 Washington Irving, author of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” visited Honesdale, Pennsylvania, with his friend (and town namesake) Philip Hone and climbed a rocky cliff along the Lackawaxen River. The views from the top were so magnificent that Irving declared in a letter to his sister that it should be kept forever as a “public resort” for all to enjoy. (Hone’s response: He named the cliff in Irving’s honor.)
The Original Plan: The Irving Cliff Hotel Company had a different idea. In 1884 they purchased the land as the site of a grand hotel with broad verandas that overlooked Irving’s celebrated view. With 125 rooms, an elevator, gas lighting, electric bells to call room service, and fresh mountain air, the hotel would lure summer visitors from sweltering Philadelphia and New York City.
No joke: Apes laugh when tickled.
What Happened: Just after workers roughed in the first two stories, high winds reduced the structure to rubble. Bad omen? Construction resumed and the hotel was completed on schedule, with a formal opening planned for July 1885. But the developers had incurred huge construction debts. Lawsuits prevented the hotel’s opening, as contractors clamored to be paid. In 1887 the property sold at sheriff’s auction for $11,000—less than half the amount owed for its construction. The new owner restored the structure to its former grandeur, complete with fine silver in the restaurant and embroidered linen in the rooms. But as the hotel was being readied for its June 22, 1889, opening, disaster struck again. Fire! The hotel’s water system couldn’t adequately supply the fire department’s pumpers, and the only other water source was the river at the foot of the sheer cliff, far beyond the reach of their hoses. Firemen salvaged what they could—appliances, carpets, chandeliers—but the structure burned to the ground. The fire was suspicious... but its cause was never determined, and nothing has ever been built on the siteagain. It remains to this day a public park with a stunning view, free for all who care to visit—just as Washington Irving wanted.
THE RYUGYONG HOTEL
The Original Plan: In 1987 North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung decided to build a hotel that would be a monument to his country’s economic growth. The 105-story futuristic pyramid-shaped structure would pierce the sky above the country’s capital, Pyongyang, like a spearhead. Its design included 3,000 rooms, five revolving restaurants, and an observation deck. Rising 1,100 feet high, it would be the world’s tallest hotel.
What Happened: In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed, and its financial support of North Korea ended. That left the country strapped for money. Result: Construction of the hotel came to a dead stop. The windowless shell towered above Pyongyang, earning it the dubious distinction of being the world’s tallest unoccupied building, with the nicknames “Ghostscraper” and “Hotel of Doom.” The European Union Chamber of Commerce calls it “irreparable,” specifically citing its curving elevator shafts. Yet plans to finish the hotel keep popping up. The latest is to open it in late 2012, on the posthumous 100th birthday of Eternal President Kim Il-Sung. The exterior got some new windows in 2011, but the odds remain stacked against completion. Reasons: First, it would cost about $2 billion—10 percent of North Korea’s annual economic output. Second, North Korea would have to admit that the Ryugyong Hotel actually exists. For years, it has been air-brushed out of photographs and excluded from maps of Pyongyang. Perhaps that’s for the best, though. In 2010 North Korea ranked #1 on a list of “worst places on Earth” to visit.
Hitler owed $8 million in back income taxes when he seized power in 1933. He never paid.
THE HARMON HOTEL
The Original Plan: In 2006 MGM Resorts brok
e ground on the $8.5 billion, 67-acre CityCenter in Las Vegas—the largest privately funded construction project in U.S. history. The “city within a city” project included a casino, high-rise condos, stores, a dining and entertainment district, and several hotels. One of them was the Harmon, a 49-story hotel and condo tower, designed by Lord Norman Foster, the “rock star” British architect who designed the super-modern Great Court, the centerpiece of London’s British Museum.
What Happened: In 2008 building inspectors found improperly placed steel reinforcing rods, commonly called rebar, on 15 of 20 completed floors. (Embedded in concrete, rebar helps skyscrapers bear their massive loads.) Result: The ability of the 49-story structure to withstand high winds and earthquakes had been severely compromised. In January 2009, MGM scrapped the 200 condos planned for the top floors and reduced the plan to 28 stories, kneecapping Foster’s original design.
Further investigation determined that the work had actually been inspected and approved. The official who made the inspections left town, and the Harmon became the poster child for subpar construction. MGM sued the contractor, Perini Building, for shoddy work, and Perini countersued for nonpayment of construction costs. The suits won’t be settled for some time, but MGM has already written off the Harmon as a $279 million loss. For now, the elegant blue glass building remains an empty shell, due for demolition. A giant vinyl wrap curves around the tower promoting Viva Elvis, a Cirque du Soleil production at CityCenter’s casino. The hotel once called “one of the most beautifully designed buildings ever” has become a billboard.
What do they suck on, ice? There are leeches in Antarctica.
DISCHARGED!
Sometimes those little numbers on a form marked “for office use only” have a secret meaning. In the U.S. armed forces, they did for decades.
THE NUMBERS GAME
From 1947 to 1974, all branches of the U.S. military placed three-digit letter and numerical codes at the bottom of discharge papers, also called a “Report of Separation” or Form DD-214. The numbers looked like official business and seemed to just be there for processing. There were more than 500 codes, and they all had a meaning, a secret code revealing to military personnel (or soldiers’ potential employers, if they called the Pentagon) the real reason for the end of a military career. Here are a few of the codes, declassified and revealed.
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