A list of curious facts
One: There is no end to the madness of affluent pet owners—and brands eager to make a fortune off them. Dolce & Gabbana is now hawking a dog perfume. Get ready to shell out €99 ($109) for a 3.4 ounce (100ml) bottle for “cocooning and warm notes of ylang, the clean and enveloping touch of musk, and the woody, creamy undertones of sandalwood.” Even more 🙄: its name: Fefé—which is apparently the name of Domenico Dolce's poodle. Needless to say, vets greatly disapprove. But hey, the dog is cute—see: lead image. (New York Times, login required, CBS News)
Two: A 150-plus-year-old “tree of hope” is an iconic symbol of Maui—it made headlines last year when wildfires nearly burned it down. But here’s the bit that makes this 60-foot banyan tree special: It is not native to Hawaii—but was sent as a gift by Protestant missionaries from India back in 1873—at the request of Queen Keōpūolani, a wife of King Kamehameha I. Irony alert: It was sent from one colony to another—to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first official Christian missionaries’ arrival on Maui. The very good news: the beloved tree is slowly springing back to life—and will remain a reminder of an enduring and unexpected link between Hawaii and India. You can see the astonishing sprawl of this 46-trunk wonder below. (Scientific American)
Three: Everyone’s talking about Taylor Swift’s concerts in Europe. But if this were a battle of the divas, Adele has won, hands down. The venue for her gig in Munich is a bespoke temporary arena which has 80,000 seats, a $43 million, 721-by-98-foot LED screen, and—wait for it—“a re-created English pub” in an outdoor arena called Adele World. It also puts the temporary stadium for the India-Pak World Cup match to shame. The eco-friendly bit: Adele will perform all ten gigs at this one venue in August. Watch it in action below. (Fast Company)
Four: Sticking with Europe, did you know many Swiss people just ‘float’ back home after work? In the cities of Basel and Bern people just ride the river currents—having stowed their phone, wallet etc in a waterproof 'Wickelfisch' swim bag. It’s popular with tourists, too. Next time you’re in town, consider taking a ‘swimming tour’ of the city—as you can see below. Business Insider has lots more on this ‘refreshing’ hack.
Bonus fact: Forget Coke Zero and diet candy. Get ready for a chocolate bar armed with a special enzyme that will “reduce how much sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream.” But here’s the ‘wow’ bit: It will “even turn it into a fibre that is good for your gut.” Wall Street Journal (splainer gift link) has more on how it works.
