When it comes to wisdom, factoids, trivia and explaining stuff, most of my friends turn to me for their regular dose and questions. But there are limits to what I know and one of them is the Samurai Umbrella. Which is getting quite popular nowadays.

Awesome Samurai Umbrella

I’ve seen one or two in the metro lately on one of my regular trips to work via the MRT. “They got through the security guards carrying those?” Was the first thought that crossed my mind when I first saw one, fooled into thinking they were really bladed Samurai replicas. “Or maybe they were used by cosplayers.” Was another hypothesis of mine.

For a more compact and stealthier ninja, err traveller

As it turned out, they were just umbrellas that look like Samurai sword. Awesome!!! And I want one! Not the full-sized one though, the smaller and compact one for a more stealthier look. Also because I’ve long moved on from carrying around full-sized umbrellas that were mostly a hassle to travel with in our crowded passenger jeepneys and jam-packed buses.

And since my present umbrella is about to give out, I’d replace it with a compact Samurai Umbrella soon. Ah yes, you want one too, right?

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It’s hard to tell whether a snake has a poisonous bite or not and the scary part is you’d only get to find out once it has bitten you.

Farmers may have known this for years because jeans are part of the standard attire when working in the fields, especially in places where the grass and brush is thick, and it’s in this places where you’d most likely find a snake. So besides being able to stand the wear and tear of farm work, the tough and heavy cloth of jeans provide some protection from snake bites.

This has been confirmed by scientists in California as reported in Reuters:

Drs. Shelton S. Herbert and William K. Hayes used latex gloves filled with saline to simulate a human appendage, then exposed the gloves to bites from small and large southern Pacific rattlesnakes. Some of the latex “limbs” were covered in a layer of denim.

The researchers found that compared with the jeans-less gloves, those covered in denim absorbed about two-thirds less venom from the rattlesnake bites. Instead, a high proportion of the venom “spilled harmlessly” onto the denim, the researchers report in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Now those who are feeling a bit more adventurous now better hold for a second before strutting your tight-fitting skinny jeans and heading out into the bush. You’d get more protection from loose-fitting, baggy jeans because they provide more space between your legs and the snake as compared to a pair of jeans that highlight your, ehem, assets.

But the problem now is, you’d be hard pressed to find baggy jeans as the skinny ones are the type in fashion. Perhaps mom or dad has kept some of their old pair in the closet?

Another thing I wonder about is, if jeans provide a layer of protection from snake bites, how come most wildlife shows still wear the khaki jeans or shorts?

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