Pig’s Feet and Tofu Flavored Ice Cream

Greetings and a caffo day to you! Thanks for clicking by today. Pour some coffee into your mug and pluck a virtual low-fat muffin from the display of virtual goodies next to the coffeepot. Sorry...no ice cream, but, hey, listen to this...

Snow King, an ice cream shop located in Taipei, capital city of Taiwan, serves more than 70 flavors of fresh, homemade ice cream. There’s nothing unusual about that, I agree. But wait till you hear what these flavors include.
The shop, in business since 1947, boasts of carrying the most unusual of ice cream flavors. Over here, you can get a lick of Sesame Oil Chicken, a dollop of Pig Knuckle, and even a scoop or two of Taiwan Beer. The family-owned business is now being run by the third generation – 33-year-old Kao Ching-feng. 

“At Snow King, you get the tastes that Taiwanese know,” said Kao. According to him, customers keep coming back for the local flavors and old-fashioned style. They like visiting in large groups, so they can sample a scoop each of all the flavors.

The most famous specialties at Snow King are Red Bean and Watermelon, preferred by the locals. Tourists from Japan like to try exotic flavors like Lychee and Peach, while customers from Hong Kong want Curry and Wasabi. All these unusual ice cream recipes are the brainchild of Kao’s 87-year-old grandfather. He had founded the business out of his savings from selling ice cream on the streets of Taipei. Kao says that his grandfather liked to challenge himself and spent years tweaking flavors to his satisfaction. 

Some of his best flavors came from trying to accommodate his older, diabetic customers. That’s how he invented with Snow King’s range of savory ice creams.

What! No Poutine! Hell's Bells, eh! What is the world coming to? In Thailand, you can get fish ice cream (made in one of the northern provinces) and all sorts of popsicles in flavours such as green tea, red bean, black bean, taro and corn.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Yellow and Brown Values

Well, hey there! Thanks for dropping by today. I thought that whirr might be you spiraling down for your daily dose of java juice and a virtual treat.  Help yourself! Speaking of spiraling down...

A Swedish TV show, "Biss och Kajs," found itself in the spotlight in November -- in Russia, where government-run television apparently used it to send a political message to Ukraine by highlighting the program's theme of teaching children about bodily functions. 

The episode Russia chose featured three bulkily-costumed actors sitting around talking -- with one dressed in yellow, one in brown, and the other unmistakably as a large, nude human posterior. 

("Biss och Kajs" is highly regarded in Sweden; "biss" and "kajs" refer, respectively to the yellow and brown functions.) Translation? I'm sure you can figure it out because the words sound quite similar to the English "Piss and Kaka".  (Naughty!)

Ukraine (against Russia's wishes) is considering a trade agreement with the European Union, and, the Russian station director said, pointedly, "There you have European values in all their glory." [According to BBC News, 12-3-2013]

Oh my! The poor Russian station director got a little flushed, did he? Doesn't like the idea of Ukraine opting for the EU instead of Mother Russia. The seat is still up on that one, eh! Whichever the Ukraine decides on, the other is headed straight down the toidy!

Sit on it, Ivan!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Franken-Apples Coming to a Store Near You!

G'day to you. How's it going? Thanks for clicking by, eh! Pour some deliciously perky coffee into your mug and grab hold of a virtual apple dutchie, why don't'cha? Speaking of apples...

Thanks to the biotech industry’s relentless quest to control our food, McDonald’s, Burger King and even school cafeterias will soon be able to serve up apples that won’t turn brown when they’re sliced or bitten into. 

A new, almost entirely untested genetic modification technology, called RNA interference, or double strand RNA (dsRNA), is responsible for this new food miracle. Scientists warn that this genetic manipulation poses health risks, as the manipulated RNA gets into our digestive systems and bloodstreams. The biotech industry claims otherwise.
 
Of course, like any non-organic apple, the new GMO Arctic® Apple will be drenched in toxic pesticide residues, untested by the U.S. Food & Drug Association (FDA) and likely unlabeled. And of course these shiny new high-tech apples will be cheap, priced considerably lower than a pesticide-free, nutrient-dense, old-fashioned organic apple that turns a little brown after you slice it up. 

When the Biotech Industry Organization gathers next week in Chicago for the 2013 BIO International Convention, BIOTECanada will present its “Gold Leaf Award for Early Stage Agriculture” to Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc. (OSF), purveyor of the Arctic® Apple, slated for approval in the U.S. this year. We hate to upset the biotech apple cart, but a pesticide-intensive GMO apple, produced through a risky manipulation of RNA, doesn’t deserve a place on our grocery shelves, much less in the agriculture hall of fame. 

That said, the Arctic “Frankenapple” is expected to be approved this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), responsible for protecting agriculture from pests and diseases. It does not require approval by the FDA, which is responsible for human food and animal feed. 

Apples, that is, apples that haven’t been certified organic, already are on the list of Should-Be-Forbidden fruits. They reliably top the Environmental Working Group’s  Dirty Dozen list, for both the volume and the stunning array of pesticides consistently found on them. According to the Pesticide Action Network’s  analysis of the most recent USDA data, apples tested positive for 42 pesticides, including organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides. Both are endocrine disruptors, both have suspected neurological effects, and both are considered especially toxic for children. 
(Organophosphates are the basis for nerve gases used in chemical warfare, and have been linked to the development of ADHD in kids.) 

Given the grim report card of non-organic apples, some might say it really doesn’t make any difference if we start tinkering with the apple’s genetic RNA. After all, unlike the case with GMO corn or salmon, scientists aren’t injecting pesticides or genes from foreign plants or animals into the genes of apples to create the Frankenapple. While most existing genetically engineered plants are designed to make new proteins, the Arctic Apple is engineered to produce a form of genetic information called double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). The new dsRNA alters the way genes are expressed. The result, in the Arctic Apple’s case, is a new double strand of RNA that genetically “silences” the apple’s ability to produce polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that causes the apple to turn brown when it’s exposed to oxygen. 

Harmless? The biotech industry, OSF and some scientists say yes. But others, including Professor Jack Heinemann (University of Canterbury, New Zealand), Sarah Agapito-Tenfen (from Santa Catarina University in Brazil) and Judy Carman (Flinders University in South Australia), say that dsRNA manipulation is untested, and therefore inherently risky. Recent research has shown that dsRNAs can transfer from plants to humans and other animals through food. The biotech industry has always claimed that genetically engineered DNA or RNA is destroyed by human digestion, eliminating the danger of these mutant organisms damaging human genes or human health. But many biotech scientists says otherwise. They point to evidence that the manipulated RNA finds its way into our digestive systems and bloodstreams, potentially damaging or silencing vital human genes. 

Dr Al Sears has this to say about the new 'Frankenapples": "Apples turn brown because they oxidize, and that’s part of the process you use to digest it. What’s going to happen if they can’t oxidize in your stomach? Does anyone know? I can’t find any long-term studies in humans indicating whether or not you’ll be able to safely digest these non-browning apples… I don’t know of any that have been made public.

One study I have found from the Allergy Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in India, shows that people definitely have allergies to altered proteins in apples that are modified to resist disease."

You might have caught the name 'Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc.' above. And where is the Okanagan Valley? Why it's in British Columbia, of course! Uh-huh! Me? I think I'll wait until there is more testing done. How about you? Of course, the best solution is to buy regular apples and eat them before they turn brown. I have never had a problem with that!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Candy That Doesn’t Cause Cavities

Well, hi there! Thanks for clicking by today. As always it's a treat to see you. Speaking of treats, help yourself to a mugful of coffee and a virtual doughnut. Go ahead... choose one smothered in ooey-gooey chocolate, why don't'cha? Now, apparently, you don't have to worry so much about getting cavities. 

Dentists have always warned us that too much candy (and we would have to include ooey-gooey chocolate icing) will cause cavities. But all that could be a thing of the past, thanks to a new experiment by scientists from the Berlin biotechnology firm, OrganoBalance.

It turns out that candy doesn’t cause cavities at all. The bad guys are actually the bacteria that remain on our teeth after we eat sugary treats. So the scientists’ logic was simple – reduce the amount of ‘bad’ bacteria in candy, and the chances of cavities should naturally decrease.

After you eat a normal piece of candy, the bacteria on your teeth slowly release an acid that eats into tooth enamel. When the enamel wears down, it causes cavities to develop. One of the most common strains of bacteria responsible for cavities is mutans streptococci. 

When you chew candy, this bacteria is released into the saliva. If you swallow or spit, some of the bacteria is removed, but the remaining sits on your teeth and causes them to rot. 

So the secret is to get rid of that nasty bacteria on your teeth as soon as you can. Ideally, though this is still under scientific study, why not wash it off with coffee? Even more ideally, there would be no sugar in your coffee...though I suppose you would be allowed a substitute sweetener like Xylitol which has 1/3 fewer calories than sugar, eh. Now you can have your doughnut and eat it, too.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Catalan Christmas Tradition

Hi ya! Glad you could click by today. Are you feeling a little pooped today? Hope I didn't catch you with your pants down, did I? Butt if I did, it's right in keeping with today's topic! Fill your mug and snaggle a virtual megamuffin and let's get down to business! For the fourth year in a row, I bring you the Catalan Christmas tradition of 'Catagner' pooping statues.

In Barcelona at Christmastime, you can find plenty of Nativity scenes, with shepherds, magi, baby Jesus, and the like. But you can also find one uniquely Catalan character hidden in the background—or squatting, with his pants down, the caganer, or "the defecator" (though our sources tell us the term is a little more crass than that). 

"It's typical of Catalonia. Each house buys one for Christmas," explains one man with a smile and a shrug as he shops. "I don't know why we do it, it's just a tradition." 

The caganer has been a part of Catalan Christmases for at least two centuries, and is a symbol of fertility and good fortune. 

"There was the legend that if a countryside man did not put a caganer in the nativity scene, he would have a very bad year collecting vegetables," explains a caganer connoisseur. 

Though he's typically a peasant, these days the caganer can take on the form of celebrities, politicians, and athletes, with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II a firm favorite. 

Here's a new one of Jacko! 

This year they have brought out Pope Francis, Kate and many other new statues. Collectors love them. There is even an 18' Giant catagner in a Barcelona mall:

So on that note, I think I will just say...See ya, eh!

Bob

The Overton Window

Hey Hey! How are you doing today? Glad you could click by. Help yourself to a mug of coffee and a virtual treat. Say...I just finished reading The Overton Window. Fascinating faction.

The novel is based on the Overton window concept in political theory, in which at any given moment there is a range of policies related to any particular issue that are considered politically acceptable ("in the window"), and other policies that politicians seeking to gain or hold public office do not feel they can recommend without being considered too far outside the mainstream ("outside the window"). Moving the window would make previously radical ideas seem reasonable. Beck has referred to the book as "faction" – fiction based on facts and it shows how politicians 'move the window'. In other words, how, through public relations, they can manipulate how the public perceives any particular issue slowly towards the way they want the public to feel about it.


It is named for its originator, Joseph P. Overton (1960-2003), a former vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Overton described a spectrum from “more free” to “less free” with regard to government intervention, oriented vertically on an axis. As the spectrum moves or expands, an idea at a given location may become more or less politically acceptable. His degrees of acceptance of public ideas are roughly (from left to right): Unthinkable  Radical  Acceptable  Sensible  Popular  Policy.

The Overton Window is an approach to identifying which ideas define the domain of acceptability within a democratic republic's possible governmental policies. Proponents of policies outside the window seek to persuade or educate the public in order to move and/or expand the window. Proponents of current policies, or similar ones, within the window seek to convince people that policies outside it should be deemed unacceptable.

After Overton's death, others have examined the concept of adjusting the window by the deliberate promotion of ideas outside of it, or "outer fringe" ideas, with the intention of making less fringe ideas acceptable by comparison.

While the novel is based in the USA, I am sure the principle of adjusting/manipulating the Overton Window is prevalent throughout the world. At the very least, the novel is  a very interesting read.

See ya, eh!

Bob

French Student Sells Canned Fresh Country Air

Well, hey! Nice to see you today. Glad you could find time to click by. It's a chilly one out there this morning -18C when I dropped Nong off at work. Br-r-r-r! Brass monkey weather. I'm ready to check flights to Thailand! Fill your coffee mug and snag a virtual treat, why don't'cha? Say, I'm sure you'll agree that air is rather important in our lives, wouldn't you? Without it, there would be no life as we know it. Well here's a young entrepreneur who thinks that air is so valuable that people will be willing to pay for 'good' air.

Apparently, people will pay for anything as long as it’s packaged well – even a can full of nothing. French student Antoine Deblay figured this out over the summer, and is making huge profits from the idea. ‘Air de Montcuq’ costs 5.5 euros (that’s about $7.5), plus shipping. It is basically just a tin can that Deblay fills with air from his hometown – Montcuq.

22-year-old Deblay put up a proposal on French crowdfunding site kisskissbankbank.com. He didn’t really expect anything to happen, but the idea ended up raising over $1,000. The amount was perfect for him to set up a website and pay for packaging. When the French press got wind of the idea, they reported it extensively and helped the orders to roll in. Deblay started receiving more orders than he anticipated. He was shocked to report 1,000 orders in just three weeks. “Of course I knew it was going to sell, but not so much in so little time,” he said.

I think the popularity of Air de Montcuq has more to do with its marketing plan than the actual product. On the website, Deblay chooses to be funny with product descriptions. A blurb reads: “Air de Montcuq is 100 percent organic, it immerses you in the depths of the city to refresh your ideas. Ideal when you are in need of creative inspiration.” There’s a warning as well: “Attention, irreplaceable content, consumable once. Do not leave it open.”

Deblay assures his customers that he respects the air. “In order not to empty Montcuq’s air, we limit our harvest to 10 liters of air a week.” However, with Air de Montcuq, there are no jokes about air quality. “A slightly sunny and clear weather provides the purest Montcuq air. The boxes are filled outside the old town, with a charging time of 3:30 minimum,” the website mentions.

Deblay points out another reason why Air de Montcuq might be catching the fancy of thousands.

It seems that in France, Montcuq is often mispronounced as ‘moncul’, which means ‘my ass’. So Air de Montcuq would translate as ‘the wind of my ass’. Now that’s really gross.

Gross or not, people seem to be in love with the can of country air. Unfortunately, it’s only a summer project for Deblay, so he won’t be selling for too long. The website contains the warning: “We reached the maximum quantity of air sampling.” You need to hurry if you want to get yourself a can. But don’t be disappointed if you open it and it smells like nothing.

Ah well now...politicians have been selling hot air forever and they're still hard at it, eh! They package it differently but it still ends up kicking you in the can, so to speak.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Lost Dog Shows Up for Christmas Nine Years Later!

A woman is celebrating the return of her treasured family pet - more than nine years after the dog went missing. Staffordshire bull terrier Niamh disappeared through a gap in the fence at Milissa Mae's home near Worcester, England in May 2004.

Despite a frantic search for the-then three-year-old pet, Niamh remained undiscovered and her owners had reluctantly resigned themselves to the fact that she was lost forever.

Then, last week, Mrs Mae received a phone call from an animal sanctuary in Salisbury, saying Niamh had been brought in after being spotted wandering the streets of the cathedral city, some 80 miles from her original home.

The dog, who was identified through her microchip, was reunited with her owner at the Bath Cats and Dogs Home, and staff at the shelter shed a tear when the dog appeared to recognise Mrs Mae.
Mrs Mae described the find as a "Christmas miracle".

"I know in my heart someone must have taken her," she said. "She is such a friendly thing; she would walk right up to anyone.

"She's gone a little deaf and a little grey, but otherwise she's just the same."

She went on: "She was very thin, but apart from that she's in surprisingly good condition, especially considering she's a 12-year-old dog.

"Someone has obviously been looking after her in the intervening years.

"I don't know how long she'd been wandering, but she must have been in someone's care for at least some of those nine years."

Niamh is now back at home with the Mae family, and is getting on well with their other dog Ferdy, seven, and her granddaughter.

"Hey, like I went out for a little sniff here and a little sniff there...took the wrong turn, bumped into a fire hydrant and...well..."

See ya, eh!

Bob

World’s Largest Gingerbread House

G'day to you! May it be a 'caffo' day for you indeed... caffo meaning a joyous day in which you learn something new and tickle your palate with a little caffeine to help you through it.  I trust your journey through cyberspace wasn't an arduous one though I can tell you are ready for a nice steamy mug of coffee and a virtual treat. Try a gingerbread muffin, why don't'cha? Speaking of gingerbread...

The world’s largest gingerbread house has been erected on Texas A&M Traditions Club grounds, in Bryan, Texas. The 39,201.8 cubic-foot house set a Guinness World Record this year, and is helping raise funds for a local trauma center. It measures 60 feet by 42 feet and its tallest point rises 20.11 feet.

The idea for the house first came to Bill Horton, managing director of the Traditions Club, in September 2012. He was watching a Food Network special on gingerbread houses at the time. At first he thought he could get the house done by November, but soon realized that it would take a lot more work. That’s when the project got postponed to this year.

“Everybody got excited that we were trying to do this,” he said. Ninety percent of all the raw materials were donated – from lumber to electrical supplies to ingredients. Lots of people volunteered too. Club members, bakers and locals joined hands to create the home. Lumber? Since when does a gingerbread house have lumber? How the heck do you get that in the oven, eh? Wouldn't it...oh, never mind!

Hey, Bill..email me a slice would you? Strictly for research, of course. Hold the cream 'cause it messes up my 3-D printer!

See ya, eh!

Bob 

The Power of Antioxidants

Hiya! How are you, then? (English is funny, isn't it? What I really mean to ask is 'How are you now'...not then!). Pour some delicious arabica bean juice into your mug and snag a virtual treat while you're at it. Speaking of beans, I got another note from my pal Dr Al that I want to share with you...so you will stay healthy and continue to read my blog long into the foreseeable future.

Dear Bob,

If you were living in a primitive environment, you wouldn’t have to worry too much about free radical damage.

You’d already have a natural defense system already in place. In primitive cultures like the ones I’ve seen in Peru, Brazil, and Africa, the native diet contains thousands of antioxidants to fight free radicals.

In our westernized world, antioxidants are still the best way to guard against disease.

If you remember back to your science classes when you were younger, you’ll recall that a free radical is a molecule that has lost one of its electrons.

It will then go about looking for healthy molecules and try to “steal” an electron. The cells your body where this process is occurring can become injured. The cell may malfunction causing disease or even become malignant, causing cancer.

Free radicals come from normal metabolic function, but also from toxins, processed food or polluted air. You are exposed to potential sources of free radical production every day of your life.

So any time you increase your intake of antioxidants, you’re saving your healthy cells from damage.

To get you started, here is a list of the some of the best sources of antioxidants:

TOP 20 FRUIT, VEGETABLE, AND NUT SOURCES OF ANTIXOIDANTS
Rank	Food Item	Serving Size	Total antioxidants per serving
1	Small red beans (dried)	Half cup	13,727
2	Wild blueberries	1 cup	13,427
3	Red kidney beans (dried)	Half cup	13,259
4	Pinto beans	Half cup	11,864
5	Blueberries (cultivated)	1 cup	9,019
6	Cranberries	1 cup (whole)	8,983
7	Artichoke (cooked)	1 cup (hearts)	7,904
8	Blackberries	1 cup	7,701
9	Prunes	Half cup	7,291
10	Raspberries	1 cup	6,058
11	Strawberries	1 cup	5,938
12	Red Delicious apple	One	5,900
13	Granny Smith apple	One	5,381
14	Pecans	1 ounce	5,095
15	Sweet cherries	1 cup	4,873
16	Black plum	One	4,844
17	Russet potato (cooked)	One	4,649
18	Black beans (dried)	Half cup	4,181
19	Plum	One	4,118
20	Gala apple	One	3,903

Source: J Agric Food Chem.

It may surprise you that beans top this list. But as it turns out, beans, which are a good source of protein, are also strongly antioxidant. Not just in amount of antioxidants per serving, but they’re also high in proanthocyanidins, which are plant nutrients that have a lot of antioxidant power.

Studies show that the antioxidant capabilities of proanthocyanidins are 20 times more powerful than vitamin C and 50 times more potent than vitamin E. The antioxidant and other actions of proanthocyanidins may help strengthen blood vessels, suppress blood clotting in arteries, reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

If you add a bowl of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries to your breakfast, you’ll take in thousands of antioxidants. If you eat just a half cup of red beans for lunch, you’ll get almost 14,000 antioxidants. You may also contribute some methane to our atmosphere but not to worry, eh!

Of course, that’s only a partial antioxidant list. Spices, herbs, and teas are also surprisingly powerful antioxidants. You will find the highest amounts in cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and peppermint. Oregano, sage, rosemary, and Indian spices like turmeric also contain high levels of antioxidants.

Also, remember that “pink” colored foods have a huge antioxidant benefit… it’s a little-known nutrient that might be the strongest antioxidant in the world, astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is part of the carotenoid family of nutrients, like beta-carotene. Except astaxanthin is 54 times stronger as an antioxidant than beta-carotene. And it’s 65 times stronger than vitamin C.

Astaxanthin may just be the best antioxidant for DNA protection. It's 6,000 times more effective for that than vitamin C, 800 times more than CoQ10, and 550 times more than vitamin E or green tea.

Salmon is the best food source of astaxanthin. But buy wild salmon. It contains over 450% more astaxanthin than farmed salmon. Four ounces of farm-raised salmon contains less than 1 mg of astaxanthin. But wild-caught sockeye salmon contains a healthy 4.5 mg.

You can also find astaxanthin in pink-colored seafood like lobster, crab, red sea bream and shrimp.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD 

See ya, eh! 

Bob 

PS: Remember that coffee is made from beans as well. Now there's the real 'magical fruit'!

Innovative Nature

Hi there! Thanks for clicking by today. How are you doing? ("How am I doing what?"), Exactly, eh! Fill your mug with some java and help yourself to a  virtual megamuffin, why don't'cha while I tell you about another marvel of nature.

The water-pistol is a harmless toy for children, but apparently it can be a lethal weapon too. This particular species of fish makes use of water jets and the laws of physics to aim at and stun its prey.

The aptly named archerfish employs a unique process to hunt land based insects and small animals – it aims, spits, and stuns. It lurks under the surface of the water, waiting for unsuspecting insects to land nearby. Then, it spits out water jets at a great force, instantly killing the prey. The entire process takes just one-tenth of a second.

An archerfish can bring down insects as far as three meters above the water’s surface. Once it selects the prey, it rotates its eyes so that the prey’s image falls on a particular part of the eye. 

Then it presses its tongue against the groove on the roof of its mouth to form a narrow channel, and contracts its gill covers to issue a powerful jet of water through the channel. The power of this shot can be altered for prey of different sizes. The jet can be up to five meters long.

Yeah...I've seen fish with that same 'spit in your eye' look many times. 

See ya, eh!

Bob

The Eagle Nebula

Wow! Take a look at this wild photo of the Eagle Nebula. Wait...you didn't drop out of that in your flight through cyberspace today, did you? Now that you're here, the coffeepot is in its usual place right next to the tray of delectable virtual doughnuts, muffins and assorted colourful treats. Nothing like the colours in the nebula though...

This wide-field image of the Eagle Nebula was taken at the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak with the NOAO Mosaic CCD camera.

Located in the constellation of Serpens, the Serpent, the Eagle Nebula is a very luminous open cluster of stars surrounded by dust and gas.

The three pillars at the center of the image, made famous in an image by the Hubble Space Telescope, are being sculpted by the intense radiation from the hot stars in the cluster.

Looks like some of my spatial digital images, don't'cha think? What...you haven't seen them lately? Holy space rocks! Take a looksee here: http://www.bobsartstudio.net

If some of my links aren't working, well...I'm working on them okay but like, I have over 700 pages on the site so they take time. Yada...yada...yada...

See ya,eh!

Bob

I'm Blind and I Need a Gun!

Hey there! Great to see you today. Glad you could find time in your busy schedule to click by. Coffee's freshly roasted and perked and there's a wonderful array of virtual treats for you to choose from so dig in, eh! Boy...sometimes you just have to wonder, don't you? Listen to this...

Though many people might agree with blind musician Stevie Wonder that it is "crazy" to let people like him carry guns, federal and state laws seem ambiguous, according to a lengthy analysis of Iowa's supplied by the Des Moines Register in September. 

Some Iowa sheriffs believe that federal anti-discrimination law limits their discretion (though they can deny permits for lack of physical or mental ability to handle the gun). 

The National Federation of the Blind generally trusts its members never to use guns recklessly, a spokesman said, and blind Iowa activist Michael Barber emphasized his right. 

"You take it out and point and shoot," he said, "and I don't necessarily think eyesight is necessary. ... For me, the inspiration is just to see if I run into any difficulties."


Eyesight not necessary when you're about to shoot someone??? It seems to me that eyesight might be a tad helpful, don't'cha think? I mean, sure, we already have the technological ability to zoom in on a target from heat signals but that doesn't discriminate between such signals as far as I know. What if it was a hostage situation with the gunman holding a hostage. How does a blind person's gun know which heat signal to target? Maybe the hostage would be able to help. "A little more to the right! I mean my right. Your left!"

Just wondering, is all...

See ya, eh!

Bob

The Family of Man

Howdy! Glad you could find time to click by today. I hope you're in harmony with the flow of the universe. Some of us are...some aren't. More on that after you fill your coffee mug and grab a virtual treat from the vast assortment on the tray by the coffeepot. Ah, the Marvels of Science or "Who's Your Granddaddy?" 

The notorious white separatist Craig Cobb is currently soliciting like-skinned people to move to his tiny town of Leith, N.D. (pop. 16), to create a deluxe Caucasian enclave. 

However, a black TV host persuaded him to submit to a DNA test in November to "prove" his lineage. Guess what? It turns out his heritage is 14 percent black ("Sub-Saharan African"). Lordy! Lordy! He has vowed to try other DNA tests before confirming those results. 

Bobby Harper, previously Leith's only black resident, was happy. "I knew there was one other black person in town." 

In mid-November, Cobb was charged, along with an associate, with seven counts of terrorism for walking menacingly through Leith wielding a long gun. [Bismarck Tribune, 11-11-2013]

 Well, now, Craig, ah reckon there may have been a
Sub-Saharan African American hiding in you granddaddy's woodpile, huh?

You just never know, do you.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Carving Entire Caves by Hand with a Pickaxe

Aha! There you are. I thought that was you changing lanes in cyberspace in preparation for a spiraling orbit down to my virtual café. Glad you could make it today! 

Fill your mug with some aromatic arabica juice and snaggle a virtual treat while you're at it. Say...you know my love of art, eh. But I've never been much of a sculpture fan. Oh, I appreciate the effort. Maybe it's just that I love the colour of painting. Anyway, I am ready to admit this guy's sculpting is amazing. 

67-year-old Ra came into his unusual profession after years of being a drifter. He was a college dropout, was discharged from the U.S. Navy and hitchhiked his way across America. He worked on a series of odd jobs – postal employee, security guard, janitor, and even farmer and one point.

Ra learned the art of digging in the summer of 1985, when he worked in Dixon as an excavator. He would dig outhouses and build wells, (hopefully not using the same holes, eh!) giving him a longing to do something artistic with his hands. One thing led to another and soon, he was digging caves.

I dig it!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Extreme Toilet Perched on a Cliff in Siberia

Hey! Hey! Thanks for clicking by today. How are you faring? Fair to middling or in harmony with the flow of the universe? Me? Thanks for asking. I'd go with harmony. I'm glad you're here. Help yourself to a perky mug of coffee and a virtual treat. Most of my regular readers know that I, on rare occasions, get off onto the subject of toilets and (oh here he goes...) poo. Well, check out the positioning of this toilet. 

The world’s most extreme toilet is located in Siberia, 2,600m (over 8,500 feet) above sea level. It’s not just the height that makes it scary; the toilet is perched rather precariously on the edge of a cliff. I think it looks like it might fall right off if a very heavy person used it.(Don't look at me when you read that part!)

What’s this lonely lavatory doing up there all by itself, you ask? Well, it’s meant to serve just five people – employees at the remote weather station at Kara-Tyurek.

Kara-Tyurek, which means ‘Black Heart’ in the local language, lies in the Russian Altai Mountains. Its weather station has been operational since 1939, and the five people working there have just the one toilet to use.

Now that's enough to scare the crap out of you!

See ya, eh!

Bob 

Comment from Paul in Toronto:

Sure do remember the tuk-tuk rides in Bangkok. Cough, cough!

Paul

Bob's reply:

We watched 'Don't Drive Here!" a while ago and the city featured was Bangkok. The narrator actually did drive an ancient tuk-tuk (among other things) and found it exhilarating! Sometimes tuk-tuks and motorcycles are the only vehicles moving in the Big Mango!

Travelling Around the World by Tuk-Tuk!

Hola, mate! How's tricks? Hanging in there, are you? Good to hear! Motor over to the coffeepot and pour yourself a robust mug of South American coffee. Grab a virtual treat while you're at it, why don't'cha? Say...I know you are one who is up for a challenge, right? Well listen to this...

Two British teachers have broken the world record for the longest journey in a tuk-tuk after pushing their vehicle the last 43 miles (70km).

Richard Sears and Nick Gough, currently in Peru, have travelled at least 23,300 miles (37,500km) in aid of grassroots education projects in Africa, Asia and South America.

If they can get their motorized rickshaw through northern Chile they will become the first people to have driven a tuk-tuk around the world.

They set off from London on August 13, 2012, and have crossed 37 countries.

 

However, the pair hit problems in South America, meaning they had to use a harness to drag the 800kg vehicle over the record line.

Luckily, after three days, they found a mechanic and are now pressing on through the Andes. Their vehicle - which they have named Tommy - has a top speed of only 34mph (54kph).

Richard Sears, from Guildford, said he hoped the trip would highlight the fact that many children in the developing world still do not have access to education.

He said: "The world's leaders have made a commitment to achieving universal primary education by 2015, but despite this pledge over 57 million primary-aged children worldwide are still out of school.

"Many more are in school though still cannot access quality learning opportunities."

The pair's tuk-tuk journey is scheduled to finish in Rio de Janeiro next month and they hope Guinness World Records will verify their feat soon after.

The men, who are both 28, have both taught at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford, Surrey.

The tuk-tuk is one of the favourite modes of transportation in Thailand and I have ridden them many times. Mind you, there is nothing like being in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Bangkok and getting stuck between two diesel city buses. Cough! Cough! Gasp! Gasp!

See ya, eh!

Bob

 

Using Dummies Dressed as Gang Members to Deter Criminals

Perfect! You're here! Great to see you. Now that you're here, help yourself to a mug of freshly roasted and brewed arabica coffee and a virtual muffin, why don't'cha? Say...do you worry about thieves breaking into your house? Well, here's someone who does but he can't afford a security service so...

Who needs live security guards when a pair of dummies can do the job? A Detroit homeowner from the city’s west side has been putting this theory into practice for the past few weeks, with excellent results.

Detroit’s news channel Local 4 reported the story in detail. While the homeowner preferred to remain anonymous, we do get to hear snippets of his voice during the video coverage. 

“This is my home, my castle,” he says. And he’s converted his castle into a fortress of sorts with a security system, sensor lights, bars on windows, double screen doors and two dogs. The icing on the cake: two security guards stationed at the front door 24/7. If you look closely, you’ll realize they’re just dummies (the kind used for CPR training) dressed as gang members.

The man says he got the idea after several break-ins occurred and he couldn’t afford insurance premiums. His insurance company actually told him that they see risk all around his home – vacant homes and constant crime. So he has been making efforts to minimize that risk. In perfect Home Alone style, he’s doing his best to outsmart burglars.

From a visibility point of view, especially potential thieves driving by, I can see where this would work...for a while anyway. Of course, he'd have to move the dummies around every so often...change their jackets, etc.

Security companies usually put stickers on the windows and doors of clients as a deterrent. Well, why not just do the same.  Go to "images.google.com" and search for "security stickers for windows". You'll find lots of them...like this one.

You can buy label paper at Staples, Office Depot, etc. Print some off and put one in the lower corner of all your windows and at eye level on doors. Make them about double the size of the one shown here. The rationale is that thieves look for easy targets so if there is even a suggestion of a security system in place, chances are they will give your house a miss and move on - and that is all you want.

See ya, eh!

Bob