Fish Flavored Ice Cream and more weird treats

fish ice cream


Fish Flavored Ice Cream and more weird treats
Monday, April 30th, 2007
http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/04/30/fish-flavored-ice-cream/#more-648

Japan, or even Asia in general, are known for the vast amount of odd and weird foods found to be eaten. So after eating a human body the Japanese can head back to some seafood for desert with this fish flavored ice cream treat.

fish ice cream


Don’t like Fish? Well don’t worry, you can have some Green Tea ice cream instead. Might not taste as good but it is probably healthier.

Or Horse Meat Ice Cream??? (more…)

This article is for the pregnant women, who have strange food taste desires LOL

Illustrated calendar from 1900: Antikamnia Chemical Company

Of all the wonderful things I've seen on the Bibliodyssey blog, this may just be the wonderfullest.
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/05/illustrated_calendar.html

Snip:

After beginning his working life as a printer's apprentice, Louis Crucius (or Crusius) completed the necessary requirements to graduate as a pharmacist in 1882 and a doctor in 1890 in St Louis, Missouri. While he was studying he worked in a pharmacy and made humorous sketches that were placed in the window of the store. A collection of these drawings was published in 1893 ('Funny Bones'). He lectured in histology and anatomy and eventually came to be a Professor of Anatomy but died in 1898 from kidney tumours.

Although he gave most of his drawings away, Crucius sold a number of them to the Antikamnia ('opposed to pain') Chemical Company which had been established in St Louis in 1890. They produced antikamnia medicines containing the coal tar derivative, acetanilid, an anti-fever drug with pain relieving properties somewhat related to paracetamol, but which would be later shown to be a toxic compound not to mention addictive. Antikamnia was mixed with substances like codeine and quinine to enhance the pain relieving effects.


I really love this photo and it's promise of pain relief, that it promises. Especially with the damp,cold weather in Salt Lake City,with my arthritis,Bad back and bad knees (Oh woe is me)

30 of the Crucius 'dance of death'-inspired drawings were used to make 5 years worth of Antikamnia Chemical Company calendars - between 1897 and 1901. They had a fairly aggressive marketing campaign in which the calendars (aimed at the medical fraternity) as well as postcards and sample packs were distributed to doctors in the United States and overseas.

Link to full post.

US prison sees keys sold online

US prison sees keys sold online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6624831.stm


Officials do not know how many keys were sold
A prison in the US state of Iowa has changed its locks after a set of keys was sold online for $12.

The state spent $6,000 on refurbishing the Anamosa State Penitentiary after keys that belonged to a guard who retired in the 70s were auctioned.

Officials at the 135-year-old jail were not sure if the keys still worked but could not take any chances, a warden told KCCI-TV in Des Moines.

Anamosa is a medium-security jail but holds a number of violent criminals.

'Never at risk'

Warden Jerry Burt told the TV station many of the cell blocks from that time were still in use and the keys might fit.

"We do know there were a number of keys and it's a possibility," he said.

"We don't know exactly how many keys were sold. We don't know where they went... We don't have any information that says any particular key that fit any particular lock may have been compromised."

The warden said the public had never been at risk but the locks were changed as a precaution.

The keys were bought at a sale following the death of the prison guard. They were advertised as once having opened the jail's locks.

Anamosa is about 25 miles (40km) north-east of the town of Cedar Rapids and houses more than 1,000 inmates.

The Anamosa Penitentiary Museum lists the jail's worst inmate as John Wayne Gacy.

He spent two years there from 1968 and helped build a miniature golf course, but after his release went on to kill 33 men before being executed in Illinois in 1994.

Abandoned Boeing 737 'disappears'

Abandoned Boeing 737 'disappears'
By Monica Chadha
BBC News, Mumbai


The plane became a major attraction in Mumbai

A disused Indian Boeing 737 that was abandoned in a busy road in Mumbai (Bombay) last weekend has been moved.

The plane was taken overnight from the Chembur district where it had been left by a driver who was taking it by trailer to Delhi.

It is not clear who has moved it or where it has been taken.

The decommissioned Boeing had become the centre of attraction in the city. But some people complained that it was disrupting business.

It appears that the plane was abandoned after the driver took a wrong turn and found himself facing a flyover that was too low for him to take the plane under.

The driver then disappeared and the plane and its trailer were marooned for several days while no-one assumed responsibility for moving it.

Sunday surprise

"I'm thrilled to see that it is gone," one woman, Shaila Kachare, told the BBC News website. "Life's back to normal."

Plane stuck in Mumbai

The Boeing used to belong to the private company Air Sahara.

Its engine, wings and tail were removed before it began its road journey to Delhi.

Restaurant owner Ramji Thapar woke up on Sunday morning to find the aircraft on its giant trailer abandoned on the road.

"Saturday night I shut shop and go home and everything is fine," he told the BBC news website.

"Sunday morning when I get here, this aircraft is here near my restaurant!"

Reports say it was supposed to be used at a flight training academy.

Pradeep Malhotra, who runs a catering service in the area, said the plane had become a huge problem because it was parked right in front of his shop, preventing him loading his lorries.

Some residents said they had not complained simply because they assumed that the authorities would be making it a priority to get the plane out of the city.

Petition to restore habeas corpus

Petition to restore habeas corpus
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/03/petition_to_restore_.html

The ACLA is planning to hand deliver a 100,000 signature petition to Congress demanding that habeas corpus be restored.

Picture 10-3 Last October, Congress and the President brought them under attack by passing the Military Commissions Act (MCA).

If the government puts you in jail, you have a right to know why. And you have a right to challenge your imprisonment in court. The principle is called habeas corpus, and the Framers thought the concept so important they wrote into the body of the Constitution.

The MCA eliminates habeas corpus for certain people detained by the federal government, and it gives the President the power to decide -- without review by Congress or the Courts -- who is branded an “enemy combatant.”

The ACLU is fighting to repair the damage done by the MCA and stop this and other unacceptable erosions of our freedoms and our Constitution, but they need your help.

Link

Space telescope spots new planet

Space telescope spots new planet
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6611557.stm
By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News



Artist's concept: Planet crosses in front of star (Esa)
Artist's concept: A planet is seen as it transits a star
The French-led Corot mission has spied its first planet - a very hot world bigger than Jupiter - passing in front of a far-off star.

The spacecraft was launched on 27 December last year and is the first to hunt for Earth-like planets from space.

Corot scientists said to find a planet so early on "significantly exceeded pre-launch expectations".

The new body is called Corot-exo-1b and can be found 1,500 light-years away in the constellation of Monoceros.

Corot hunts for planets by monitoring stars for tiny dips in brightness that result from objects transiting their faces.

See a diagram of the Corot spacecraft

The instrumentation onboard the 650kg (1,400lb) satellite is so sensitive that it is capable of detecting rocky exoplanets (the term used to describe planets outside our Solar System) just a few times bigger than Earth.

Corot starfield (CNES)

The Corot spacecraft looks at starfields for days on end

For the next two and a half years, Corot will observe more than 100,000 stars in the hope of discovering other habitable worlds.

Dr Suzanne Aigrain, a co-investigator on the mission and an exoplanet expert from the University of Exeter, UK, was pleased to have found a planet so soon after the launch.

She told BBC News: "It's a giant planet of similar basic structure to Jupiter, but bigger; it is about 1.3 times more massive than Jupiter and has approximately 1.5 to 1.8 times the radius.

"It's a lot closer to its star, which is quite similar to our Sun, and it orbits it every 1.5 days."

The discovery of this large planet indicated that the onboard systems were working well and that discovering smaller, Earth-like planets was well within its grasp, she said.




Mission Guide: Corot
The spacecraft has also been able to carry out its first asteroseismological observations of a star.

This technique is similar to seismology, which uses earthquake waves to study the Earth's interior. But instead, Corot monitors the subtle changes in light created as "starquakes" - waves generated deep inside a star - ripple across the star's surface.

Analysis of this data, which is still being undertaken, will be used to determine the star's mass, age and chemical composition.

Dr Aigrain said: "Although it will take us some time to analyse the data more systematically as it continues to stream in, the impressive data quality, and the rapid co-ordinated response of the science team on the ground, bode extremely well for the future of the mission."

Corot is a co-operative project between the French space agency Cnes and international partners Esa (European Space Agency), Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany and Spain.



Corot satellite (BBC)
1. 4CCD camera and electronics: Captures and analyses starlight
2. Baffle: Works to shield the telescope from extraneous light
3. Telescope: A 30cm mirror; it views the star fields
4. Proteus platform: Contains communication equipment, temperature controls and direction controls
5. Solar panel: Uses the Sun's radiation to power the satellite

Sudan's famous goat 'wife' die

Sudan's famous goat 'wife' dies
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6610999.stm?ls

The best-known goat in Sudan has died months after being "married" to a man in the South Sudan capital, Juba, the BBC has learned.

Local elders ordered a man found having sex with the goat, later called Rose, to "marry" her last February.

"The idea was to publicly embarrass the man," says Tom Rhodes, editor of the Juba Post, which first ran the story.

The BBC's story of the "wedding" caught the public imagination and became one of the best read internet stories.

Rose, black and white, is believed to have died after choking on a plastic bag she swallowed as she was eating scraps on the streets of Juba.

'Sense of humour'

After the marriage, Rose had a male kid - but "not a human one" - Mr Rhodes said, hastily.

The "husband", Charles Tombe, said he was drunk at the time but has since refused to comment on the issue. The kid is owned by Mr Tombe.

More than a year after the BBC story was first published, it is still picked up by various web forums and being emailed across the world. Recently it got more than 100,000 page views for five successive days.

Over time, it has received several million hits - making it historically one of the biggest-hitting stories the BBC News website has published.

A Google search uncovers more than 1m different web pages, based on the same story.

Mr Rhodes, a Briton who helped found the Juba Post in 2004, was shocked when he learned how many people around the world had read the story his newspaper had originally published as a short, light-hearted account and not even bothered to publish on its website.

"Wow - what have we done? We have triggered a monster," he said.

He said that he had seen that it occasionally returned in the BBC's "Most read stories" and was worried that he would have trouble with South Sudanese, accusing his paper of tarnishing the image of the region - now trying to rebuild after 21 years of war.

But he says he has not come across any such anger.

"It doesn't portray Sudan in a bad light - it shows the Sudanese have a sense of humour," he says, referring to the elders' original punishment.

He has, however, had people come up and say to him: "Oh, you're the goat man."

Mr Rhodes explains that South Sudan remains a conservative society.

If a man is caught sleeping with a girl, he is ordered to marry her immediately in order to save her honour and that of her family, he says.

This was the basis for Mr Tombe's punishment, after the goat's owner found him with his animal and complained to local elders.

They ordered him to pay a dowry of 15,000 Sudanese dinars ($50, at the time) and also named the goat Rose.

Afterwards, he left with the goat, not quite hand-in-hand, more hand-in-hoof, to his home in the Hai Malakal suburb of Juba - and not in Upper Nile State as we originally reported.

Foster's hops on green bandwagon

Foster's hops on green bandwagon
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6615787.stm
Pint of lager
The battery should produce enough electricity to power a home
Australian brewer Foster's has teamed up with scientists to create the world's first "beer battery".

The technology - using bacteria which consume sugar to generate power from brewery waste water - was unveiled at the University of Queensland.

The university was awarded a state grant of 140,000 Australian dollars ($115,000; £58,000) to help fund the microbial fuel cell project.

The battery will be installed at Foster's brewery near Brisbane.

As bacteria consume water-soluble waste from the plant such as starch, alcohol and sugar, the battery will produce clean water and electricity.

"Brewery waste water is a particularly good source because it is very biodegradable... and is highly concentrated, which does help in improving the performance of the cell," said the university's waste water expert, Professor Jorg Keller.

According to estimates, the brewery battery should produce two kilowatts of power - enough to power a household.

"It's not going to make an enormous amount of power - it's primarily a waste water treatment that has the added benefit of creating electricity," Prof Keller added.

A patent is pending for the technology, which could be used across a number of food, beverage and manufacturing industries.

Gladiators' graveyard discovered

Gladiators' graveyard discovered
By Monika Kupper and Huw Jones
BBC Timewatch

Gravestone
Gravestones helped identify the site as a gladiator graveyard
Scientists believe they have for the first time identified an ancient graveyard for gladiators.

Analysis of their bones and injuries has given new insight into how they lived, fought and died.

The remains were found at Ephesus in Turkey, a major city of the Roman world, BBC Timewatch reports.

Gladiators were the sporting heroes of the ancient world. Archaeological records show them celebrated in everything from mosaics to graffiti.

Motifs of gladiators are found on nearly a third of all oil lamps from Roman archaeological digs throughout the Empire.

But how much did they risk every time they stepped into the arena? Did they have much chance of getting out alive?

The discovery of what is claimed to be the first scientifically authenticated gladiator graveyard has given researchers the opportunity to find out.

'Strict rules'

The Ephesus graves containing thousands of bones were found along with three gravestones, clearly depicting gladiators.

Two pathologists at the Medical University of Vienna - Professor Karl Grossschmidt and Professor Fabian Kanz - have spent much of the past five years painstakingly cataloguing and forensically analysing every single bone for age, injury and cause of death.

They found at least 67 individuals, nearly all aged 20 to 30. One striking bit of evidence is that many have healed wounds.


The team examined the remains



More details



To Kanz and Grossschmidt, this suggests they were prized individuals getting good and expensive medical treatment. One body even shows signs of a surgical amputation.

And the lack of multiple wounds found on the bones, according to the pathologists, suggests that they had not been involved in chaotic mass brawls. Instead, it points to organised duels under strict rules of combat, probably with referees monitoring the bouts.

But there was also evidence of mortal wounds. Written records tell us that if the defeated gladiator had not shown enough skill or even cowardice, the cry of "iugula" (lance him through) would be heard throughout the arena, demanding he be killed.

Final blow

The condemned gladiator would be expected to die "like a man" remaining motionless to receive the mortal blow.

The pathologists discovered various unhealed wounds on bones that showed how these executions could have taken place. And these are consistent with depictions on reliefs from the time showing a kneeling man having a sword rammed through down his throat into the heart. A very quick way to die.


It was basically the final blow, in order to release them
Prof Fabian Kanz, Medical University of Vienna
Tell-tale nicks in the vertebrae or other bones suggest at least some of the bodies suffered this fate.

A number of skulls were also found to have sets of up to three holes at odd intervals, consistent with a blow from a three-pronged weapon such as a trident.

"The bone injuries - those on the skulls for example - are not everyday ones, they are very, very unusual, and particularly the injuries inflicted by a trident, are a particular indication that a typical gladiator's weapon was used," says pathologist Professor Karl Grossschmidt.

But not all head injuries found were trident wounds. A number of the skulls showed rectangular holes that could not have been made by any of the known gladiator weapons. Instead, they suggest the use of a heavy hammer.

"One possible explanation, which is supported by a number of archaeologists, is that there must have been an assistant in the arena who basically gave the gladiator the coup de grace," says Professor Kanz.

"I assume that they must have been very severely injured gladiators, ones who had fought outstandingly and so had not been condemned to death by the public or by the organiser of the match, but who had no chance of surviving because of their injuries. It was basically the final blow, in order to release them."

'Comfortable' retirement

The work of the Viennese pathologists has been independently reviewed for the BBC's Timewatch programme by Dr Charlotte Roberts of Durham University, a leading physical anthropologist.

"I've looked at quite a few hundred Roman skeletons. I've seen examples of head injuries, healed and unhealed. I've seen evidence of decapitations," she says.

"But this (new find) is extremely significant; there's nothing been found in the world at all like it. They've really dispelled quite a lot of myths about gladiators and how they fought."

Gladiators were prisoners of war, slaves or condemned offenders

If a gladiator survived three years of fighting in the arena, he would win his freedom. Those who did often became teachers in the gladiator school; and one of the skeletons found at Ephesus appears to be that of a retired fighter.

He was of mature age and the scientists were able to reconstruct nearly his entire body. His head showed apparent signs of healed wounds from previous fights but, clearly, none of them would have proved fatal.

"He lived quite a normal Roman lifespan," says Professor Kanz. "And I think, most probably, he died of natural causes."

Historical records suggest a gladiator's chance of survival was slim, with some estimates as low as a one in three chance of dying each time he fought. But it appears one of the Ephesus gladiators at least survived the odds and had a chance to enjoy his retirement from the arena.

Asia's spectacular monument of gratitude

Asia's spectacular monument of gratitude
By Raja M

Which two persons are rare in the world? One who serves others selflessly without expecting anything in return; and one who is grateful toward anyone who does one a kindness. These two persons are rare in the world. - Gotama the Buddha

MUMBAI - Air travelers over Mumbai will soon have something spectacular to goggle at: a cloud-high view of the golden Global Pagoda, the world's largest stone monument and the first dome in



human history of this size without any supporting pillars.

The completed massive main dome of the Global Pagoda, to seat
more than 8,000, is to be officially inaugurated this Sunday in the presence of many Indian leaders, including possibly Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This 100-meter-high monument, expected to be one of Asia's major tourist attractions, bridges Vipassana - an ancient path to liberation from all suffering - to the complexities challenging the world today. About 100,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony on the island of Gorai in suburban Mumbai, including guests from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and other countries.

In the morning, authentic relics of the Buddha will be enshrined in the Global Pagoda, atop the largest meditation hall on the planet, where more than 8,000 Vipassana students can practice together in one-day refresher courses. The Buddha bone relics were offered by the government of Sri Lanka and the Maha Bodhi Society in India in 1997, and have been awaiting this October day when the main dome of the Pagoda is ready. Another set of relics is being sent by the Indian government.

The Buddha relics had a long journey, from India to the London Museum, where the British colonial rulers of that time took them before World War II. The relics were returned to the subcontinent after strong but peaceful protests broke out in Sri Lanka over disrespect shown to the relics by placing them in a museum.

The Global Pagoda, the final resting place of these Buddha relics, has been modeled on the famous Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, as a mark of deep gratitude that Vipassana Principal Acharya (teacher) S N Goenkaji has for his teacher Sayagyi U Ba Khin (1899-1971), the first accountant general of independent Burma (now Myanmar), and to the little-known chain of Vipassana teachers in that country who preserved the teaching long after Vipassana was lost in India and to the rest of the world.

"If Emperor Asoka (265-238 BC) had not sent the words of the Buddha and Vipassana from India to the neighboring countries, they would not have survived anywhere in the world," said Goenkaji. "Fortunately, some wise monks of Sri Lanka and Myanmar as well as of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos preserved the Dhamma literature in its pristine purity through the teacher-student tradition for more than 2,000 years. Similarly, meditation teachers preserved the technique of Vipassana in Myanmar until recent times."

The Global Pagoda symbolizes the resurgence and quiet but rapid worldwide spread of Vipassana, the practical quintessence of the Buddha's non-sectarian, universal teachings. Residential Vipassana courses, from beginners' 10-days to advanced 60-days, are being offered without charge from more than 130 established Vipassana centers and innumerable non-center venues. Courses are run on voluntary donations and services of grateful previous students who wish to share the benefits with others.

An instance of Vipassana as a catalyst for peace is its growing popularity in both Israel and Iran, where demand for courses outruns supply. "Peace in the world is not possible without peace within the individual," Goenkaji said. For millennia, Vipassana has proved to be a powerful mind-purification tool to inner peace, by leading the practitioner to "egolessness".

Course participants cut across all professions, strata and religions of global society. "The Buddha has made me a better Muslim," wrote Imam Omar Rahman after doing a Vipassana course held at the Level 6 Security Alabama Prison, one of the most violent prisons in the US.

Many senior Christian priests and nuns have commented to Goenkaji that Vipassana is Christianity in practice, with Vipassana courses even being held in seminaries for novices. Many prominent Hindu leaders have undergone Vipassana courses. In India, more than 20 government circulars have been issued by the central and state governments enabling officials to undertake the 10-day Vipassana courses with paid leave.

Being built with voluntary donations, the Global Pagoda will have a large exhibition gallery giving accurate information about Vipassana and the Buddha's historical life. The Pagoda combines functionality with new architectural frontiers. A hollow stone monument with an octagonal base, the Pagoda externally rises and tapers at the top through a circular bell shape (see picture), forming within a stupendous pillarless hall 85 meters in diameter.

This pillarless 27-meter-high dome is attracting architectural wonder considering that thousands of stones, each weighing about 600-700 kilograms, are suspended without any external support. "These massive stones seemingly float over our heads, locked into place by the interlocking principle of one stone gripping and holding another. The more weight that is added to the stones, the more firmly the stones grip and hold each other," said M M Khandhar, a veteran construction engineer with experience of building projects in the US. When fully complete, the pagoda will be 100 meters high.

The biggest stone dome with a hollow interior built anywhere in the world before the Global Pagoda was the Gol Gumbaj Dome in Bijapur, southern India, which is 40 meters in diameter. The Global Pagoda is more than twice its size.

"We initially contemplated building the pagoda in reinforced concrete and steel. But the project aim is to build a structure to last for a thousand years, so we decided to use the basic building principles that have existed in ancient India for centuries, combined with latest construction technologies," explained the Mumbai-based Global Vipassana Foundation that is executing the project. "The construction plans were finalized following advice from consultants and research studies, including one by the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai."

When Goenkaji first expressed his wish to have such a dome built without any pillars in the meditation hall, to avoid inconvenience to meditators, almost all consultants and technical personnel expressed their doubts, saying this was almost impossible.

Chandubhai Sompura, an Indian architect, provided the breakthrough by demonstrating the idea of the locking system of stones using bars of soap cut into the same shape as the present stones are cut. A stone has grooves cut both horizontally and vertically, and is designed to interlock in both directions and hold the stones in place.

The inner dome and outside serrations are constructed from Jodhpur stone, historically known for its longevity and used in many Indian structures. About 15,500 cubic meters of Jodhpur stone and 46,000 cubic meters of rubble stone have been used so far, equivalent to a 120-kilometer-long line of trucks filled with the stones.

Posterity will look upon the Global Pagoda with awe similar to that evoked by the pyramids of ancient Egypt, besides the universal message of peace and purity that Asia's new monument of gratitude symbolizes.

GREENSTOCK 2007: A Benefit Music Festival for Peace and Sustainability

For interested folks in the Oregon
http://www.oregonpeaceworks.org/site/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3036&Itemid=151


WE NEED YOUR HELP!
ANNOUNCING GREENSTOCK 2007: A Benefit Music Festival for Peace and Sustainability

WHAT IS IT? A volunteer committee has come together to create a large-scale fundraising concert to benefit organizations working for the Earth.

WHO DOES IT BENEFIT?
Three statewide Oregon non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations were chosen as beneficiaries: Oregon PeaceWorks, Siskiyou Project and Nanish Shontie. The proceeds from the event itself are devoted to the important work the organizations are doing.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Fall of 2007, at a large capacity venue in NW Oregon. Exact date and location TBD.

THE ENTERTAINMENT:
We're negotiating with like-minded artists, Neil Young and Foo Fighters. Greenstock will also include a day of educational events and activities prior to the show to deepen people’s connection and commitment to the issues. It's expected to include slide shows, notable speakers including political activists, Tribal Elders, and local performers who educate through music and the arts. Tabling opportunities will be available for many causes and groups.

FUNDING:
Various levels of sponsorship opportunities are available to sympathetic businesses, groups and individuals. In return, you will receive publicity and the satisfaction of affiliation with causes and musical artists you can feel good about. A range of benefits is available depending upon your chosen sponsorship level:

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS:
20K+ level Title Sponsor
10K – 20K Event Sponsor
5K – 10K Greenstock Partner
1K – 5K Greenstock Affiliate
Under 1K Friends of Greenstock

Would you please consider a donation to this worthwhile event? No amount is too small (or too large)!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

In peace,

Peter Bergel,
Executive Director, Oregon Peace Works http://www.oregonpeaceworks.org
Julie Norman,
Executive Director, Siskiyou Project http://www.siskiyou.org/
Mala Spotted Eagle Pope,
President, Nanish Shontie http://www.nanish.org/

Jellyfish Cookies Selling like Hot Cakes

Jellyfish Cookies Selling like Hot Cakes
http://www.weirdasianews.com/category/weird-news/page/5/
Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

Who would have ever thought that cookies made of jellyfish would become a hit product?

Mouthwatering cookies called Ekura-chan have done just that.

Ekura-chan saku-saku cookies --

The incredible edibles were jointly developed by Obama Fisheries High School and Fukui-based gift retailer Keifuku Shoji Co.

After hitting the market last October, more than 20,000 Ekura-chan cookies have been sold, far exceeding expectations.

The baked goodies–made of huge Echizen kurage jellyfish that is a nuisance to fishermen–also hit the shelves at a department store in Osaka’s Minami district.

To find ways to commercialize untapped marine resources, students at the fisheries school’s food industry department have since 2002 been developing tofu and fruit punch using jellyfish.

While developing these products, the students hit on the idea of turning jellyfish essence into a baking powder, which is odorless and tastes like bittern.

At the same time, Keifuku Shoji approached the school to jointly commercialize products made from jellyfish. (more…)

Pin Hole Camera, that you can make !

Why buying digital cameras?
Just download your next camera on our website.

Linatree invite you to download,
print, cut and build your pinhole.
A pinhole is a camera that uses a very
small hole, as if made by a pin instead
of a lens, for light to enter and
form an image on the film
or other light-sensitive medium.

* Download your camera (PDF Brochure)
* See the 3D animation that will help you to build it