Man claims he ate, drank nothing for 70 years

Source: Telegraph

Prahlad Jani is being held in isolation in a hospital in Ahmedabad, Gurjarat, where he is being closely monitored by India's defence research organization, who believe he may have a genuine quality which could help save lives.

He has now spent six days without food or water under strict observation and doctors say his body has not yet shown any adverse effects from hunger or dehydration.

Mr Jani, who claims to have left home aged seven and lived as a wandering sadhu or holy man in Rajasthan, is regarded as a 'breatharian' who can live on a 'spiritual life-force' alone. He believes he is sustained by a goddess who pours an 'elixir' through a hole in his palate. His claims have been supported by an Indian doctor who specializes in studies of people who claim supernatural abilities, but he has also been dismissed by others as a "village fraud."

India's Defence Research Development Organisation, whose scientists develop drone aircraft, intercontinental ballistic missiles and new types of bombs. They believe Mr Prahlad could teach them to help soldiers survive longer without food, or disaster victims to hang on until help arrives.

Sounds suspecious but 6 days is alot to see no signs of anything. Let's see how good this doctor is and see if he can find anything after like 24 days!

Evangelion Water Body Bottles

Squeezable!

Source: Japanorama

Curvy bottle shapes are nothing new, as Coca-cola's classic "coke-bottle" has demonstrated for decades but few other beverage companies have gone for that ergonomic yet obviously female form - until now.

Displayed prominently at the recent Foodex Japan 2010 show in Tokyo were a pair of Evangelion Water Body bottles certain to warm any anime lovers heart... and soothe their thirst in the bargain.

The bottles are not only voluptuously curved, but sport futuristic red and white bodysuits that reference those worn by characters Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami in the mega-successful Neon Genesis Evangelion series of manga, movies and games.

The bodacious bodysuited bottles are set to be released to retail outlets on May 26, 2010, to coincide with the release of "Evangelion: Destruction" on Blu-ray and DVD. The estimated cost per each 280ml (9.5 oz) bottle is 368 yen or about $4

These look pretty cool. I guess it could open the market for any other character that could be put into a bottle. They could make sports drinks with Maria Sharapova figured bottles or something.

Chinese youth accused of not being fighting fit

At least they're running, somewhere

Source: Reuters

The government must immediately invest some of its new wealth in ensuring that children take regular exercise, Beijing Sports University president Yang Hua told the sports group of the largely ceremonial advisory body to China's annual parliament.

"It is time for the Chinese nation to improve the physical fitness of our next generation," said Yang. "If we miss the next three to five years a whole generation will be next to useless.

"If there was another war against Japan, would the younger Chinese be able to fight the Japanese one-on-one?

"The government has enough money for banquets and for luxurious office buildings, do they not have money for children's physical education?" he added.

Japan invaded and occupied much of China between 1931 and 1945. Rancour over Japanese wartime atrocities has subsided as a diplomatic flashpoint, but it continues to shape Chinese public attitudes toward Japan and its people.

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For a country that calls itself the Center of the World, they sure are insecure about what the Japanese are doing. Are they seriously still thinking about a future war with Japan? One-on-One? Does this guy realize that this isn't the Three Kingdoms era and wars aren't wrestled? I'm not even sure the next war would even use guns.
And I'm not sure either the Chinese nor the Japanese were fit in 1931.

Children's physical education in schools is very important. China spent a bazillion dollars on Olympic facilities, Olympic programs and the opening ceremonies. All for nothing as it may have resulted in 60 gold medals, but a kid sitting on his can watching China win 6 gold medals in table tennis isn't going to make him any fitter.
For a country who Communist motto famously says, opportunity for the many, only the best get selected for sporting greatness. China addiction of showing the world that they can win the Olympics, has resulted in a neglection of the bigger picture of sports in schools.

Another symptom is that the academic system is too competitive. Students study 24 hours a day to get into the best schools. Sitting on a chair studying numbs your butt. No time for exercise.

The HUGE Baby Nighty Cap

A Chinese student is selling her own hand in marriage for £15,000 in a bid to save the life of a classmate.

A Frenchman was arrested for drunk driving after taking his car to a police station to distribute Alcoholics Anonymous pamphlets there

An Indonesian woman has given birth to an 8.7-kilogramme (19.2-pound) baby boy, the heaviest newborn ever recorded in the country, a doctor said Wednesday.



Doctors in China have discovered a six-inch knife blade that was left in a woman's bottom for four months.

A father in eastern India gave away his teenage daughter to a fellow gambler after he lost a card game, with police launching a hunt to retrieve the girl.

China: Worst pizza ever

Source: ISpyShanghai

I’m guessing they didn’t fly a top pizza chef in from Tuscany to come up with the “Abseriction Orchard”, and I do wonder how many other ingredients they tried alongside “Meat Gut” before they decided that pineapple was just the ticket.

The potato special sounds particularly insipid

It sounds so bad that it would be worth trying- sadly though they only deliver to Pudong.

If anyone in the ‘Dong is feeling brave, I’d love to hear what these things taste like. In fact I DOUBLE DARE YOU.

There are too many pizzas being created. Some are interesting some are blah. In Canada we have a Great White North pizza with two cheese (mozza and cheddar) and back bacon.

Yo! Yao could be done, for good

Source: ESPN

The Houston Rockets already said that Yao Ming's recovery from a broken foot was behind schedule, but that setback might now cost him all of next season or worse.

"At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career threatening," team physician Tom Clanton said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery."

The team is weighing different options. Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone of his left foot in the Rockets' second-round playoff loss to the Lakers on May 8.

The team initially said Yao would miss eight to 12 weeks, but a bone scan last week revealed that the fracture is not healing properly.

"We are not going to comment," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said, according to the Chronicle, "until we have all the facts."

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Not good. But not surprising either. Being 7'6" just walking would hurt ones feet let alone playing basketball. Rockets definitely have to trade the malcontent McGrady in order to get a big man.

Everybody has a stream bath

Source: VietNamNet

Each afternoon, Vu Oai commune in Quang Ninh province in Vietnam is very bustling, like during a festival. Everybody from kids to elderly people cheerfully go to the local stream to swim.

In Vu Oai, from babies of 2-3 years old to old people of 70-80, everyone is closely attached to the local stream. Vu Oai commune’s chairman named Tay said having a stream bath is a cultural aspect of local residents.

At 4-5pm everyday, both in summer and winter, everyone goes to the stream to swim.

Hmmm I don't know. A stream bath every single day? Once in awhile would be cool but to go there everyday would get boring pretty quick. Although it must be nice to be able to swim year-round without freezing your ass off.

I like the girl with the polka-dot pants. That's cute :)

Blue, Red, and Green Japanese beer!

Source: Japanorama

One beer two beer red beer blue beer! Japan's
Abashiri Brewery is well on their way to offering us the united colors of beer, though nobody seems to have requested this of them. Regardless, Okhotsk Blue (also known as Ryuho Draft) joins Abashiri's rainbow-hued beer lineup along with Hamanasu Red draft and Shiretoko Green draft.

Here's a short video from Abashiri showing the cool blue beer and a bit of the local scenery:


Youtube Link

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Not sure I would like coloured or flavoured beer. Reminds of Dennis Leary standup about Cranberry Beer :)


Youtube Link

Sake Education Show

Source: Wine Library TV

Here is a show about the most underappreciated wine of them all. SAKE!

Alot of background in the first part, taste testing and details in the second part.


Youtube Link


Youtube Link

Love Gary's stuff always bring so much energy and information in his videos.

World's oldest man dies at 113 in Japan

Source: Yahoo!

The world's oldest man, Tomoji Tanabe, died at his home in southern Japan on Friday at the age of 113, according to a local official.

Tanabe, who suffered from a chronic heart problem, passed away with his relatives at his bedside, said an official at Miyakonojo City, where he lived.

"Mr Tanabe was a symbol of Miyakonojo... and cheered up many residents," making the town a byword for longevity, said Mayor Makoto Nagamine.

When Tanabe turned 113 on September 18, he said the secret to his longevity was a big appetite but a strict diet, together with avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and snacks.

Tanabe, who lived with a son and daughter-in-law, had eight children, 25 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.

Japan has one of the world's highest life expectancy rates, attributed in part to a diet traditionally rich in fish, rice and vegetables.

The world's oldest known person is 115-year-old Gertrude Baines who lives in Los Angeles.

That pretty cool to live in 3 different centuries! I dont think I have a chance, I'd have to live past 120 :P

Thai and Lao Food: Tangy and Hot

Source: NY Times

IT is a long way, Kwan Bellhouse said last week, from planting rice in her parents’ paddies in northeastern Thailand to roasting it in Kwan Thai, her small restaurant here in Rockland County.

“Only the smell is the same,” she said, as the raw grains turned from starched white to dark brown, and the lime leaves and lemon grass fronds she added to the kata (a wood-handled wok) curled and singed. The roasted rice and herbs would be ground into a smoky, nutty powder that gives depth to her larb gai, a dish of chopped chicken, mint, basil and red onions dressed with lime juice and ground red chilies. (The dish is sometimes spelled laab, lob or lop.)

“We never get tired of eating larb, 24 hours a day,” she said. Ms. Bellhouse’s “we” refers to the people of Isan, a rural section of Thailand where she grew up, and where her parents still grow purple, jasmine and sticky varieties of rice.

Isan borders on Laos, and regardless of modern political boundaries, the people of the region have traditionally shared a language, a climate (hot, steamy) and a love for two foods: larb and green papaya salad, made from the crisp, pale green flesh of unripe papayas mixed with garlic, lime juice, tomatoes and chilies.

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I've never tried Thai food! I'm afraid it's too hot and my tongue doesn't handle spices well. I might try to make it, with less spices but then it probably won't be as good.

Here are the recipies.

Chicken With Lime, Chili and Fresh Herbs (Larb Gai)

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

Some Asswipe Invents A New Asswipe

Source: Japanorama

What's an eco-friendly way to recycle used office paper and botched photocopies? Here we might mulch it to be used in farming. In Japan they're turning it into toilet paper.

Paperless office? That's what the computer was supposed to usher in but as any office worker knows, it just hasn't happened. Memos, reports, handouts and photocopies just keep coming and coming, much like Publisher's Clearing House Day at the post office. It's enough to make anyone go postal... but now Japan's Nakabayashi Co. has come up with a brilliant solution: recycle the scrap paper into crap paper!

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It's a good idea. The amount of papers going through an office is remarkable. So if there's a way to make it into nice and soft toilet paper for my delicate tushy, then woohoo!

Green Tea Coca Cola!

Source: SF Gate

Forget "Classic" or "New" Coke. In Japan, you can soon have your cola flavored with green tea or basil.

Green tea-flavored Coca-Cola will hit Japanese stores June 8, Coca Cola (Japan) Co. spokesman Katsuya Sato said Thursday. It contains tea antioxidants called catechins, leaves a slight green tea aftertaste and is mainly targeted at health-conscious women in their 20s and 30s, Sato said.

"We wanted to cater to people who are looking for something that tastes good but is also good for health and beauty," he said.

Coca Cola is the leader in Japan's cola market but faces stiff competition from non-carbonated bottled drinks such as tea, coffee and fruit juices.

Rival Pepsi Cola is countering with another exotic cola - Japanese basil-flavored "Pepsi Shiso," which hits stores in late June.

Too many variations. I still like Coke Classic! Green tea is bad enough on it's own, let alone combined with coke.

China puts a stop to snake-bitten cock-in-a-pot

Whaaaaaaat?

Source: Reuters

Chinese health authorities are putting a stop to restaurants serving chickens which have been bitten to death by poisonous snakes and cooked up for a supposedly detoxing meal.

The dish, served by a small number of eateries in the southern province of Guangdong and the southwestern city of Chongqing, has generated a storm of publicity and controversy in the Chinese media and amongst bloggers.

A video showing a cook holding a snake and forcing it to bite a live chicken until it dies has been widely circulated online, (http:/you.video.sina.com.cn/b/21145091-1405053100.html) generating mainly angry comments.

"It's disgusting and really cruel," wrote one poster on the popular portal sina.com.cn.

"Not only is it cruel and blood-thirsty, but totally amoral," the Chongqing Business Daily cited a neighbor to one of the restaurants as saying.

Health authorities in Guangdong have already told restaurants to stop serving "poisonous snake-bitten chicken" and now those in Chongqing have joined in.

"Although nobody has been poisoned, this at the very least is an irregular way of slaughtering poultry," the business newspaper quoted a local health official as saying.

One dish, prized among some in Guangdong, is monkey brains scooped from a live animal, which has regularly upset animal rights campaigners in the West.

Supposedly detoxing meal? Must be another crazy superstition.

Japan Flocks to Ostrich Masks

Source: Bloomberg

Japanese researcher Yasuhiro Tsukamoto’s flock of 500 ostriches are being enlisted into the global fight against swine flu by exploiting Japan’s practice of wearing masks in public to ward off allergies and colds.

Tsukamoto, 40, a veterinary professor at Kyoto Prefectural University, was part of a team that investigated the deaths of birds in 2004, when avian influenza hit farms in western Japan. The probe into the virus that killed three-fifths of infected people worldwide spurred him to produce flu-fighting antibodies from ostriches, which are resistant to infectious diseases.

In July, even before the swine flu outbreak surfaced, Tsukamoto began selling, for about $2 each, face masks lined with the ostrich antibodies. The swine flu circling the globe has heightened the Japanese obsession with wearing face masks, leading shops to sell out plain white surgical types as well as patterned varieties, such as those with Mickey Mouse themes.

“Masks have become part of social etiquette as they give Japanese a sense of security that they and those around them aren’t spreading diseases,” Masataka Yoshikawa, who tracks consumer behavior at market researcher Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, said in a telephone interview from Tokyo.

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Not sure masks are part of the social etiquette that I want to be in. Flu or no flu I like to see people's smiling faces.

Indian dad avoids washing for 35 years

Bathing in the Ganges River, an Indian tradition

Source: Google

An Indian man who fathered seven daughters has not washed for 35 years in an apparent attempt to ensure his next child is a boy, newspapers reported.

Kailash "Kalau" Singh replaces bathing and brushing his teeth with a "fire bath" every evening when he stands on one leg beside a bonfire, smokes marijuana and says prayers to Lord Shiva, according to the Hindustan Times.

"It's just like using water to take a bath," Kalau was reported as saying. "A fire bath helps kill germs and infection in the body."

Kalau, 63, from a village outside the holy city of Varanasi, outraged his family by refusing to take a ritual dip in the river Ganges even after his brother died five years ago.

"I still don't remember how it all began," he said in Saturday's edition of the paper. "I just know it started about 35 years ago."

Kalau's hygiene regime has taken its toll on his professional life.

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That's just GROSS!

However the story does bring up this issue. Why is it that all the Indian families I know have more daughters than sons and all the Chinese families I know have more daughters than sons. I know a Lebanese family with 8 daughters.

What causes this? Is is genetics? Is it superstition? I know Chinese women eat certain foods or pray alot when they plan to be pregnant and hope to have a boy? Does it work?

Me? I want a baby girl. So I can dress her up and play with her hair. I can't do much with a boy :)

Hello Kitty Afterbite!

Every get bitten by mosquitoes? Now there's Hello Kitty relief!


Youtube Link

I wonder if it's as good as Calamine Lotion?

Smoking order repealed at public uproar

Source: China Daily

A local government in central China has backed down on an order which asked civil servants to smoke more to help boost the regional economy, the Beijing News reported Tuesday.

The Gong'an County government of Hubei province found itself at the center of public outrage after it demanded local officials to consume up to 23,000 packs of locally-produced cigarettes annually, worth 4 million yuan (US$588,235), using public money.

Each office under its jurisdiction received a quota and would face a fine if they failed to meet the target, or if found buying cigarettes produced by other provinces.

The order made headlines in major newspapers around the world after being made public, triggering waves of criticism that it was a complete waste of public money.

Local officials defended their decision, saying the directive was misinterpreted.

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Yes it was misinterpreted. That's why you have to do an total 360 now :)

Related: Chinese ordered to smoke more to boost economy

Teenager May Be Japan’s First Swine Flu Case

Source: Japan Today

The uproar over swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, has been going on for days now. As current strain of flu virus originates from Mexico, people in Asia are not as exposed to risk as our western brothers. However, due to the ease of travel from any part of the world today, there really is no guarantee that the virus will not reach the farthest corners of the world.

Japan, in particular, might have its first case of swine flu. Bloomberg reports:

Japan’s Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said a 17-year-old boy may be the country’s first swine-flu case.

The teenager, a high-school student from Yokohama, near Tokyo, visited the western Canadian province of British Columbia from April 10 to 25, according to public broadcaster NHK, which televised the news conference by Masuzoe this morning.

The youth underwent a medical checkup yesterday after coming down with a fever and cough. Preliminary tests suggested he may have swine flu, NHK reported.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis, the report said.

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If true that would be sad. Interesting that they think it may have come from BC. There have been 3 or 4 cases in BC. If true than BC may have to increase some of it's security as well. There have been two cases in my province Alberta but far away from Calgary. So far they identified the persons and kept them in hospital.

I've been sick as well but I always get sick this time of year. Think it's either allergies or weather change.

Anger as 70 Mexicans quarantined in China

Source: Yahoo

Mexican diplomats complained bitterly to China on Sunday saying about 70 of their countrymen had been placed under quarantine despite showing no signs of swine flu.

As Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa called the action "unjustified" and warned Mexicans against visiting China, Ambassador Jorge Guajardo was refused access to 10 people held at Beijing Guomen Hotel.

"We are objecting to the fact that they are holding Mexicans in isolation for fear that they might have the flu virus, even though they have no signs of having the flu virus," Guajardo told reporters.

Guajardo engaged in a brief stand-off with a Chinese official at the hotel, who initially blocked access, but later let in the ambassador without allowing him to see the group.

The ambassador said several of those held in China had no connection with the Shanghai-Hong Kong flight which carried an infected Mexican man -- Asia's first confirmed swine flu case.

"There are people here who arrived on a plane from Newark on Continental Airlines. There are other people who arrived from Los Angeles that are being quarantined," he said.

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Now that's racist! China has their head so far up their ass and are so worried about being blamed for this disease that they will locked up Mexicans and foreigners in hotels to make sure nothing spreads.

It's fine that they want to take precaution that nothing will spread but you can't just lock people up because they're Mexican and have nothing to do with Mexico!

Don't worry China, no one is blaming you for this. You don't have to freak out and be afraid that "the perfect society" will be affected. Just take it easy and stop abusing people!

Related:
Swine Flu: China Quarantines Mexicans, Chinese Reactions

Just when I need reminding how brainwashed and stupid people in China are.