Month: October 2016

Most of the time, when rodents make themselves known in New York, they’re not exactly celebrated—Pizza Rat notwithstanding. But when a beaver appeared in the Bronx in 2007, biologists were thrilled. The semiaquatic rodent, once incredibly populous in the area, had disappeared for two centuries, the victim of overzealous trappers and unwelcoming aquatic conditions in the Bronx River.

The river was indeed in a state of disgrace, with raw sewage being emptied directly into it, among other things. A sewer pipe was built to solve that problem in 1908. A larger cleanup was attempted in the ’70s, but the biggest action took place in 2001, when the Bronx River Alliance formed to help transform the area. Their efforts, combined with the efforts of citizens and city government, not to mention $14.6 million in federal funding, finally helped restore the river. Just to start with, nearly 15,000 tires were pulled from its depths.

Just six years later, the hard work began to pay off when residents reported seeing a beaver in the river, a sign that the environment was habitable again. At first, biologists assumed the sightings were actually of muskrats, which look similar and are much more common. But upon further investigation, gnawed tree stumps and a 12-foot lodge made of twigs and mud seemed to verify the claims—and video evidence later cemented them.

The NYC transplant was named Jose after U.S. Representative José Serrano, who was a big player in helping to rejuvenate the river. But the happy ending gets even better—in 2010, the beaver population doubled when Jose was joined by a pal. Though a Bronx Zoo contest to name Jose’s friend resulted in the name “Justin Beaver,” some people thought they had spotted signs that Justin was really female.

Will there eventually be a whole beaver family celebrating the newly clean Bronx River? Maybe—in fact, some researchers say there have already been signs that Jose and Justin(e) had expanded the family. If so, biologists will really have something to celebrate: A beaver colony hasn’t existed in New York City area “since Times Square was still farmland.”

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Food brings us together. Whether your tastes trend toward traditional or experimental, there’s universal comfort in joining around a table for a meal. Seasoned travelers know that sampling the local cuisine is one of the easiest ways to experience native culture firsthand. You may not speak the language or know your way around town, but there’s always someone ready to share a bowl of their favorite treat. Sure, it’s increasingly easy to find a McDonald’s no matter where you land, but why not try one of these unique gastronomical experiences?

1. KOPI LUWAK // INDONESIA

Can’t face the day without coffee? Visitors to Indonesia can indulge their caffeine craving with a hot cup of kopi luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world. Why so pricey? Cats, of course! Wild palm civet cats, also known as luwaks, eat the fruity flesh of coffee berries but don’t digest the seeds (what we call coffee beans.) The civet droppings are collected by local farmers to be washed, roasted, and processed as coffee. Why is this “cat-poop coffee” so special? One theory holds that civets eat only the best cherries, creating a natural selection for quality. Others believe that a fermentation process occurs in the luwaks’ digestive tracts, which reduces bitterness and improves the natural flavor. But not everyone agrees; Tim Carman, a food critic for The Washington Post, tried kopi luwak a few years ago and claimed that “It tasted just like … Folgers.”

2. POZOLE // MEXICO

Mexican cuisine continues to be one of the most popular choices in the U.S., so a trip to Mexico might seem like a chance to double-down on well-known favorites like enchiladas or quesadillas. Go looking for authentic Mexican meals, however, and you just might find a steaming bowl of pozole, a soup with significance dating back to the Aztecs. Pozole begins with hominy (a type of dried maize) and meat (typically pork), includes a variety of mouth-watering spices, and is topped with fresh ingredients like lime and radish. Historically, pre-conquest Aztecs may have used freshly sacrificed human flesh in their pozole in lieu of pork, but there’s no need to worry about that these days.

3. SMALAHOVE // NORWAY

Steaks can be found nearly everywhere, but adventurous carnivores should consider a trip to Norway to track down a hearty plate of smalahove. Literally translated as “sheep’s head,” smalahove is in fact half a lamb’s head (split down the middle with an axe, naturally) that has been torched, dried, smoked, and boiled, then served with potatoes, rutabagas, cream, and butter. The brain and other organs are removed, with the exception of the tongue, eye, and ear, which are generally considered the best morsels. The hearty meal is a Norwegian holiday tradition and is typically consumed the last Sunday before Christmas. (It’s also customary to serve it alongside aquavit, a strong Nordic spirit, perhaps for folks who need a bit of “liquid courage” to face down this intimidating dish.)

4. CARNE ASADA WITH CHIMICHURRI // ARGENTINA

Grilled meat is a staple around the globe, but Argentines take particular pride in their steak traditions. Their outdoor cooking style, known as asado, has a rich heritage and rigorous rules to follow (absolutely no gas, briquettes, or lighter fluid allowed, only wood and hard lump charcoal!). Done properly, asado is an all-day process, where each cut of meat gets plenty of time to slowly roast—Argentines generally prefer their steaks medium-to-well-done.

While the steaks are grilling, Argentine chefs have time to whip up some chimichurri, the country’s “go-to condiment.” A tangy uncooked sauce prominently featuring parsley, garlic, oregano, and red pepper, chimichurri complements nearly any entree, but particularly shines with carne asada.

5. HÁKARL // ICELAND

Speaking of Scandinavia, perhaps no dish has earned quite so fearsome a reputation as hákarl, an Icelandic delicacy first cooked up by the Vikings. Even celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, no stranger to unusual flavors, described hákarl bluntly as “the single worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

The Vikings found a plentiful supply of Greenlandic shark in the waters around Iceland, but soon discovered that toxins in the shark meat made it poisonous to consume. Their solution was to behead the shark, then bury the carcass underground for six to 12 weeks to allow liquids to seep out and the rotting meat to ferment. (Some modern Icelanders cure the meat in a plastic box rather than underground). After the fermentation process is complete, the shark meat is cut into long strips and hung up to dry for several additional months. The final product, diced into deceptively mild-looking white cubes, is famous for its fiercely pungent ammonia aroma.

6. TRUFFLES // FRANCE AND ITALY

If the odor of rotting shark doesn’t make your mouth water, head south for a famous treat with a much different reputation. By weight, the European white truffle is one of the world’s most expensive delicacies—they can sell for as much as $3600 a pound. That steep price tag is due to the difficulty of finding and harvesting the small treats; truffles grow underground, near the roots of trees, and farmers often need to employ specially trained dogs to sniff them out. The fruit of underground-growing fungi, truffles generally aren’t eaten on their own but are a rich, aromatic addition to any number of dishes, including pasta, eggs, sauces, and even cocktails. Of course, truffle dishes can be found worldwide, but travelers in southern Europe should be sure to sample a few straight from the source.

7. KAPENTA FISH // ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE

Kapenta (also called matemba) are tiny freshwater sardines, originally native to southern Africa’s massive Lake Tanganyika but later introduced into other lakes in the region. Despite averaging just 10 centimeters long, kapenta are surprisingly rich in protein and iron, and are an important dietary staple for lakeside regions in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique.

Typically kapenta are caught at night, then sun-dried the next day. Dried fish are wonderfully versatile and can be used in any number of contexts, from a basic stew to this sweet curry sauce. Zimbabweans living close to Lake Kariba also enjoy fresh kapenta, pan-seared and served with sadza, a maize porridge. Scoop up some sadza to dip or roll in the fish and sauce, and prepare to get a little messy—locals don’t use utensils for this dish.

8. VIRGIN BOY EGGS // CHINA

Boiled eggs are enjoyed internationally, but folks in the Dongyang province of China have a unique preparation method. Every spring, local vendors collect urine from local elementary schools, specifically from boys under age 10. The eggs are boiled in the urine; after an hour the shells are cracked and they are cooked for another full day.

Although modern science ascribes no nutritional value to this practice, Dongyang residents claim that virgin boy eggs bestow a wealth of health benefits, including improved circulation and resistance to heat stroke. They sell for just 25 cents each on the street (four times the cost of a regular boiled egg) and are so popular they’ve been dubbed an “intangible cultural heritage” for the region.

9. BALUT // THE PHILIPPINES

Travelers to the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other southeastern Asian countries will also find plenty of street vendors selling eggs, but with a much different spin. Balut are duck eggs, or more specifically, a mallard duck embryo sold in the shell. Fertilized eggs are incubated for 2-3 weeks (18 days is considered ideal), then boiled alive, sometimes with salt or vinegar added for flavor. The duck embryo is eaten whole; enthusiasts swear by the variety of savory flavors and textures all in one small package. Balut translates to “wrapped,” and comes from the idea that the perfect example should be “wrapped in white”—surrounded by pleasantly chewy boiled egg. Pro tip: if you’re interested in the flavors but squeamish about the embryo, order penoy, a duck egg that didn’t develop into balut and is entirely yolk.

10. PAVLOVA // AUSTRALIA

Visitors to Australia no doubt expect lots of shrimp on the barbie, and perhaps a kangaroo steak, but what about something to cool down after a hot day? Beat the heat with a slice of pavlova, a creamy meringue pie with a crispy crust and topped with any variety of fresh fruit.The story goes that Australian chef Herbert Sachse was inspired by Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova’s visit Down Under in the 1920s and strove to create a dessert as light as the iconic dancer. There’s another side to the story, through—neighboring New Zealand also claims the dish as their own. Hey, everyone just wants their slice of the pie, right?

This Halloween season, the Harry Potter franchise is apparating back into movie theaters for a limited time only. As Variety reports, IMAX and Warner Bros. have joined forces to screen all eight films in 2D for one week, beginning on Thursday, October 13.

The Harry Potter marathon is designed to promote the forthcoming film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, an adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s 2001 book of the same name that’s slated for a November 18 release. It also marks the first time that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets have been shown in IMAX theaters.

Making the occasion even more festive, Warner Bros will host a free Global Fan Event on October 13th to celebrate Fantastic Beasts. Viewers in select cities around the world will be shown a sneak peek of the upcoming movie, and London and Los Angeles audiences will be treated to in-person actor appearances and a Q&A session.

For more information—including how to get tickets—visit the IMAX website.

[h/t Variety]

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At the top of a hill in Budapest, overlooking the Danube River, sits Buda Castle, a gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage site visited by thousands of tourists every year. Directly underneath the castle, however, lies a less-frequented tourist attraction: a series of ancient, naturally formed caves with a colorful and sometimes disturbing history.

The entire cave system is over six miles long, and most of that has been left unchanged since it was used as cold storage (and a rumored dungeon) in the Middle Ages. Between 1939 and 2008, however, a half-mile stretch of those caves was built up and repurposed many times over. Known as Sziklakorhaz or The Hospital in the Rock, its many uses are a testament to the area’s involvement in World War II and the Cold War.

At the start of World War II, the location served as a single-room air raid center, but operating theaters, corridors, and wards were quickly added to create a much-needed hospital. By early 1944, the hospital had officially opened inside the cave, tending to wounded Hungarian and Nazi soldiers. After less than a year of operation, the facility found itself facing its largest challenge—the Siege of Budapest, which lasted seven weeks and was eventually won by Allied forces on their way to Berlin.

As one of the few area hospitals still operational, the Hospital in the Rock was well over capacity during the siege. Originally built to treat around 70 patients, close to 700 ended up crammed into the claustrophobic caves. The wounded lay three to a bed—if they were lucky enough to get a bed at all. Unsurprisingly, heat from all those bodies raised the ambient temperature to around 95°F, and smoking cigarettes was the number one way to pass the time. Add that to the putrid mix of death, decay, and infection and you’ve got an incredibly unpleasant wartime cocktail.

After the siege, the Soviets took control of the caves (and Budapest itself) and gutted the hospital of most of its supplies. Between 1945 and 1948, the hospital produced a vaccination for typhus. As the icy grasp of the Cold War began to tighten, new wards were built, new equipment was installed, and the hospital was designated top-secret by the Soviets, referred to only by its official codename LOSK 0101/1.

Eleven years after facing the horrors of the Siege of Budapest, in 1956, the hospital hosted the casualties of another battle: The Hungarian Uprising. Thousands of Hungarians revolted against the Soviet policies of the Hungarian People’s Republic in a fierce, prolonged battle. Civilians and soldiers alike lay side-by-side in wards as surgeons attempted to save them. During the uprising, seven babies were also born in the hospital.

Surgeons lived on-site and rarely surfaced from the caves. The hospital’s chief surgeon at the time, Dr. András Máthé, famously had a strict “no amputation” rule, which seemed to fly in the face of conventional wisdom, but in the end reportedly saved many patients’ lives. (Máthé also reportedly wore a bullet that he’d removed from a patient’s head on a chain around his neck.)

The Hospital in the Rock ceased normal operations in December 1956, after the Soviets squashed the uprising, as the Soviets had new plans for the caves. With the Cold War now in full swing, the still-secret site was converted into a bunker that could serve as a hospital in case of nuclear attack. Diesel engines and an air conditioning system were added in the early ’60s, so that even during a blackout, the hospital could still function for a couple of days.

The official plan for the bunker was as follows: In the event of a nuclear attack, a selection of doctors and nurses would retreat to the bunker, where they would remain for 72 hours. Afterward, they were to go out and search for survivors. Special quarantined rooms, showering facilities, and even a barbershop were on site for survivors brought back to the site. (The only haircut available to them, however, was a shaved head; radioactive material is notoriously difficult to remove from hair.)

Thankfully, none of these nuclear procedures were ever put into practice. But the hospital was never formally decommissioned, and it wasn’t relieved of its top-secret status until the mid-2000s. For a while, it was still being used as a storage facility by Hungary’s Civil Defense Force. The bunker was maintained by a nearby family, who were sworn to secrecy. In 2004, it was decided that responsibility for the site fell solely on St. John’s Hospital in Budapest, who were seen as the de facto owners in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

By 2008 the bunker was renovated, refurbished, and ready to be opened to the public. Today it operates as a museum, with exhibits detailing life in the hospital from various periods of its history, as well as the history of combat medicine as a whole. The sobering hour-long walk around the hospital concludes with a cautionary gaze into the atrocities of nuclear attacks, with the final walk to the exit featuring a gallery of art created by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

The caves beneath Buda Castle have certainly had a bumpy history, and walking through them now is chilling (and not just because they keep the temperature at around 60°F). A tour through the narrow, oppressive hallways is a glimpse at our narrowly avoided nuclear future—definitely a sobering way to spend an afternoon.

Hurricane Matthew is a monstrous storm unlike anything we’ve seen in the Atlantic Ocean in a long time. This morning, October 4, the Category 4 hurricane made landfall in Haiti, unleashing the brunt of its fury on the island nation—and it may soon do the same to Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. After that, the hurricane could either head out to sea or hit the U.S. East Coast head on. The hurricane is moving into a complicated weather pattern that the models are having a hard time figuring out, so we won’t know for a few more days what—if any—impacts Hurricane Matthew will have on the United States.

Data from the National Hurricane Center indicate that the storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, ranking it as a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The storm briefly reached Category 5 intensity this past weekend, making it the strongest storm we’ve seen in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Felix in 2007 and one of a handful of storms in this part of the world to ever reach the top of the wind scale. It’s also the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Haiti in 52 years.

MODELING ITS POTENTIAL PATH

Hurricane Matthew’s worst winds are focused in a small part of the eyewall, but it still has a large shield of strong winds and extremely heavy rain that measures several hundred miles across. Forecasters expect deadly flash flooding and mudslides across Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas as Matthew passes through the area. Some parts of Haiti could see more than 2 feet of rain, leading to potentially devastating consequences. Already there are reports of deaths. The storm surge, or the flood of seawater pushed inland by the strong winds, could reach or exceed the height of a one-story house on the southern coasts of Haiti, Cuba, and some islands in the Bahamas.

The storm’s future is still an open question once it leaves the Caribbean. Some models steer the hurricane out to sea, while others bring it into the East Coast of the United States. The models are having a tough time determining how Matthew will interact with a ridge of high pressure over the Atlantic, which acts like a guard rail that keeps the storm from turning harmlessly out to sea. There’s also a trough of low pressure approaching the East Coast from the west that could catch the hurricane and drag it north, but the models disagree about that as well. The intricate play between Matthew and its environment will determine how much of a headache the storm will cause the United States in the next seven days. Data from extra weather balloon launches and persistent Hurricane Hunter missions into the storm will hopefully give weather models some extra information to work with so they can get a better handle on what will happen this week.

Everyone along the U.S. coast from Florida to Maine should keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts as Matthew draws closer to land. Any potential impacts to the U.S. will occur later this week or this weekend, so there are still a few days to make sure you’re prepared for a storm and its lasting effects in the event that it heads toward the coast. Either way, Matthew will generate powerful waves and rip currents at beaches up and down the eastern seaboard. Use extreme caution if you’re visiting the beach over the next week, and stay out of the water if conditions are too rough.

HOW IT GREW INTO A SCALE-TOPPING HURRICANE WITH ALARMING SPEED

Impacts aside, this hurricane is fascinating from a scientific perspective. Matthew grew from a small tropical storm into a powerful, scale-topping Category 5 hurricane with alarming speed. It took just 36 hours—between 11:00 a.m. EDT on September 29 to 11:00 p.m. EDT on September 30—for the storm’s winds to jump from 70 mph to 160 mph.

What’s even worse is that no human forecast or weather model expected Hurricane Matthew to turn into the monster it became. This hurricane is a prime example of how meteorology is still an inexact science. Matthew blew up over extremely warm waters, but it faced moderate wind shear that was expected to disrupt thunderstorms around the eye and keep it from strengthening as fast as it did.

Meteorologists have made great strides in improving hurricane track forecasts over the past couple of decades. They’re able to predict the location of most storms to within about 250 miles five days in advance—still a big margin of error, but much better than it was just a few years ago. While their track forecasts have improved, meteorologists still struggle with intensity forecasts, especially when rapid intensification occurs like we saw this weekend. There’s still a lot we don’t know about how hurricanes strengthen, and Matthew is proof of that struggle.

Hurricane Matthew is also odd because it didn’t look like a traditional Category 5 hurricane at its peak strength. The storm had an intense inner core with a weird, larger “blob” of convection to its east. The odd appendage was caused by easterly trade winds converging with Matthew’s winds circulating from the southwest. We normally don’t see that in the Caribbean because storms—especially strong ones—tend to keep moving west or northwest instead of stalling out and meandering for a few days.

Hopping on a pedal bike and cruising around town is a rite of passage for many children. But according to the Centers for Disease Control, less than half of riders from the ages of 5 to 14 wear a helmet.

Advertising agency DBB and Danish design firm MOEF are looking to change that. They’ve come up with a prototype bicycle helmet designed to look like the distinctive plastic hair sported by LEGO figures, according to Bored Panda.

The idea, according to DBB, is to create safety apparel that children will want to wear. (Considering the popularity of LEGO building among adults, they may want to consider larger sizes.) For now, the helmet is just a prototype but co-designer Simon Higby is petitioning for LEGO to take a look at the viability of mass-producing the helmets.

You can take a look at their entire design process below.

[h/t BoredPanda]

Halloween costumes can be pretty expensive for something you only wear once, but luckily for your wallet, Amazon is having a huge sale. The discounts cover outfits for the whole family—even your dog. The sale is only for today, so you need to think fast. Here are some of our favorite selections (or you can check out the full list here). 

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

WOMEN

Zipper Front Cat Suit, Black, Small for $20.33 (list price $54.00)

Women’s Star Wars Classic Deluxe Princess Leia Costume for $30.82 (list price $105.00)

Cozy Monkey Costume for $23.99 (list price $60.00)

Despicable Me 2 Female Minion Costume, Multicolor, Plus for $26.94 (list price $72.00)

Princess Belle Costume, Gold, Large for $105.49 (list price $219.99)

Basic Devil Costume,Multi,Small for $16.61 (list price $36.00)

Flapper Costume, Black, Small for $26.99 (list price $51.00)

Lethal Beauty Costume and Wig, Green, Small for $47.99 (list price $94.00)

Snow White Costume and Wig, Blue/Yellow, Large for $34.99 (list price $66.00)

Frozen Anna Traveling Prestige Adult Costume, Multi, Medium for $62.66 (list price $164.00)

MEN

Rogue Pirate Buccaneer Swashbuckler, Black/Red, Small for $31.99 (list price $68.00)

Assassin’s Creed 8 Piece Ezio Deluxe Deluxe Costume Cosplay, Grey, Small/Medium for $76.00 (list price $270.00)

Crocodile Costume All In One with Hood, Green, Large for $24.51 (list price $48.00)

Lee The Lion, Brown/Tan, One Size for $31.99 (list price $84.00)

4 Piece Policeman Costume, Black, Medium / Large for $31.99 (list price $84.00)

Last Laugh The Clown Set, Black/Red, One Size for $36.38 (list price $108.00)

Shrek Donkey Deluxe Costume, Grey, X-Large for $39.33 (list price $98.00)

Star Trek TNG Deluxe Command Uniform Costume & Phaser, Red, Medium for $42.49 (list price $86.70)

Robin Hood Costume, Dark Brown/Green, Medium for $109.49 (list price $179.99)

Patriotic Party Uncle Sam Halloween Costume, Multi, X-Large for $18.82 (list price $42.00)

Super Mario Raccoon Deluxe Costume, Red, X-Large for $51.49 (list price $112.00)

CHILDREN

DC Superhero Girls Deluxe Wonder Woman Costume, Small for $19.99 (list price $36.99)

Ninjago LEGO Costume, Small/4-6 for $27.99 (list price $54.99)

Where The Wild Things Are Max Costume, Cream, 18-24 Months for $25.42 (list price $63.00)

Star Wars Child’s Deluxe Luke Skywalker Costume, Small for $18.49 (list price $39.99)

Where The Wild Things Are Carol Costume, Brown/Orange, 18-24 Months for $24.99 (list price $63.00)

Storytime Wishes Cottage Princess Costume, Small for $12.29 (list price $19.99)

Disney Princess Ariel Dress for $12.99 (list price $19.99)

Elvis Presley Child Wig for $13.99 (list price $18.99)

Precious Piggy Costume, Pink, Small for $32.33 (list price $69.99)

DOGS

Business Suit for Pet, Small for $14.36 (list price $19.95)

Despicable Me Minion Pet Costume, Small for $10.14 (list price $19.99)

Scooby-Doo The Mystery Machine Pet Suit, Medium for $22.22 (list price $33.95)

Star Wars R2-D2 Pet Costume for $10.37 (list price $17.98)

Marvel Universe Captain America Big Dog Boutique, XX-Large for $16.97 (list price $36.95)

Rubie’s Lady Bug Pet Costume, Small for $7.57 (list price $16.99)

Star Wars Darth Vader Pet Costume, Large for $8.59 (list price $15.99)

Bunny Hoodie for Pet, Medium for $15.03 (list price $20.95)