Stars: *****
Ripley's has been reporting on the world's weirdest sites for I don't know how long. Each year since 2005 they publish an annual. It's basically a huge compendium of oddities. The 2010 version is this book, Seeing is Believing.
Just to give you an idea of what's included in this book, here are the chapter headings: Strange But True, Extreme Earth, Incredible Feats, Unusual Customs, Crazy Creatures, Travel Tales, Fantastic Food, Body Oddity, Strange Sites, Artistic License, Amazing Science and Beyond Belief. I'll mention more about some of what I read later.
In addition to all these strange facts, you'll find 100s if not 1000s of color photos, some Ripley's Research side bars which explain some extra info on certain info tidbits and occasional little reminders to check out the Ripley Books website for videos that match some of the stories in the book. If you want to get an idea of the layout, check out the Annual section of the website and choose the Look Inside! link.
Now I'd like to share a few of the stories I found most interesting:
pg 28 - In August 2007, bathers in the sea at Yamba, Australia found themselves in what looked like a giant bubble bath, when thick sea foam started to wash in on the beach. (believed to be organisms, dead fish and seaweed churned by the waves)
pg 73 - Competitors taking part in the Shepherd's Shemozzle race in the annual Huntaway Festival in Hunterville, New Zealand have to bite into bulls' testicles and carry them along a course as part of the endurance race.
pg 86 - Psychological counselor Xu Yiqiang demonstrated the art of hypnotizing chickens in Xi'an, northwest China, in 2007. (photos included!)
pg 160 - Rick from Montreal, Canada, known simply as "Zombie: is covered head to toe in corpse-like tattoos, complete witha skull etched on his face, a detailed spine down his back and brains painted onto his head. His amazing body-art took more than 24 hours to complete and cost almost $7000.
Links of Interest
Follow @RipleyWorld on Twitter. *highly recommended*, Seeing is Believing Book on Facebook, The Official Ripley Blog,
Buy Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing is Believing
at Amazon.comOther Reviews
Cupcake Witch, She is Too Fond of Books, Steph Su Reads, Worducopia, Cindy's Love of Books, Melissa's Bookshelf, A Bookworm's World, Book Reviews by Bobbie, Bookin' With Bingo,
