Sea Lion say “nom nom.”

http://hipandthigh.blogspot.com/2010/04/mega-sea-lion-vs-giant-octopus.html

From Sippican Cottage I wandered over to this piece decrying the pumpkin as a threadbare monarch. Enjoyable even if you have no particular malice against pumpkins.

This week’s rant of the week is on French food.

To Whom it May Concern:
Your teas are a disgrace. Either that, or your advertising is a crime. I’ve yet to find a single one of your “fruit” teas that didn’t taste hibiscus with only slight, mild aftertastes that may or may not reflect the claimed flavor of the tea. This fact is unfortunately backed up Click Here to continue reading.

From Fox News…

India’s Hindu nationalist movement is launching a new soft drink made from cow urine.

(h/t Marginal Revolution)

Edit: The Times has a more detailed description of why they are doing this if you want to know.

From the New York Times…

As American dairy farmers increased their shipments of powdered milk, cheese and other dairy ingredients to foreign markets, their incomes rose. And the demand surge helped drive up the price of milk for American families. The national average for whole milk peaked at $3.89 a gallon in July, up from an average of $3.20 a gallon in 2006.

But now, demand for dairy products is stalling amid a global economic slowdown and credit crisis, even as supplies have increased. The result is a glut of milk — and its assorted byproducts, like milk powder, butter and whey proteins — that has led to a precipitous drop in prices.

The price of powdered skim milk, used in infant formula, dairy products and processed foods, has fallen to roughly 80 cents a pound today from about $2.20 in mid-2007. Other dairy products have declined as well. Whole milk at grocers has not declined as rapidly as wholesale powdered milk, but it has dropped to $3.67 a gallon, down nearly 6 percent from the peak.

While consumers are undoubtedly pleased by the lower prices, dairy farmers are struggling.

Before I read this article, I had not realized that so much milk was being exported. I always thought it was mostly consumed in house. Which I guess it was until recently.

From the Telegraph…

Researchers found that steeping the meat in alcohol for several hours cut the high levels of carcinogenic compounds triggered by frying it.

In addition, they discovered that beer was more effective than wine at lowering the cancer-forming chemicals, and also made for a better-looking and tastier meal.

Contrary to what is quoted above, it can’t be the alcohol that cuts down on the heterocyclic amines because wine generally has more alcohol then beer and yet beer does a better job of cutting down on the heterocyclic amines. In fact, the article later states….

“Beer contains more water-retaining sugars than wine and Ferreira says that may hinder the transport of water-soluble molecules to the steak’s surface, where high heat converts them in HAs,” New Scientist said.

Previous research has shown that a red wine marinade has a similar effect on HA levels in fried chicken, while a non-alcoholic version is also available. A sauce made of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic lowered HA levels in grilled chicken by as much as 90 per cent, a study found.

So obviously it is not about the alcohol.

I would guess that balsamic vinegar would have a similar effect to red wine, but I would be interested in finding out.

Survivalists and economic doomsayers will be glad to know that you can pretty much survive on potatoes and milk. The only real lack, according to this analysis, can be covered by — c’mon now, guess — yeah. Oatmeal. This is a fine example of the good news being the bad news, which grants this information an immediate place in the halls of Fact without further review.

(Please note that the source site, Straight Dope, is open to any question, meaning you may find some links distasteful. I concurr with the second reader in the pigeon controversy.)

From the BBC….

Eating blueberries can reverse memory loss and may have implications in the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer’s, University of Reading scientists claim.

I would love for this to be true. But all to often these types of studies don’t live up to the hype on closer inspection.

From BBC….

Surgeons thought Rosemary Alvarez had a brain tumour, but on operating they discovered the worm.

Dr Peter Nakaji said Mrs Alvarez probably picked up the worm after eating undercooked meat.

If you are really sick, there is a video clip if you follow the link. I was too chicken to watch it though. There are some things in this life that I just don’t want to know.