Another reason Mugabe makes me sick

Robert Mugabe is a horrible dictator who has destroyed his country. Zimbabwe has seven million citizens surviving on international food aid, 94 per cent of the country is jobless and cholera rampages through a population debilitated by hunger. I think my position as an American who was born after the independence struggles of many African nations makes it impossible for me to understand how Mugabe can still rest on his laurels as a freedom fighter. His legacy will be one of terror and human rights violations and will unfortunately be felt long after he dies. As if to add insult to injury to the starving citizens of Zimbabwe, a list of items requested for the dictator's 85th birthday celebration taking place next week has recently surfaced. Why doesn't he do something for the starving people of his country?

Birthday List

2,000 bottles of champagne — Moët & Chandon and ’61 Bollinger
500 bottles of whisky — Johnny Walker Blue Label, 22-year-old Chivas
8,000 lobsters
100kg king prawns
3,000 ducks
4,000 portions of caviar
8,000 boxes of Ferrero Rocher
16,000 eggs
3,000 cakes — chocolate and vanilla
4,000 packs of pork sausages
500kg cheese
4,000 packets of crackers

(via The Times)

From China: Cooking Snakes and Fish Alive

Not for the faint of heart. A chef competition where you have to de-spine a live snake. Another one where the fish still has to be breathing on the plate. I consider myself an adventurous eater, but this is too much.

Analyzing French Fries via Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Scientists at Leeds University in England have been seeking answers to one of the great food mysteries: Why are french fries so good? Using a technique called Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry - which is able to separate foods into their base elements - the scientists were able to capture the various aroma components of the chips (that's British for fries if you don't know).

It turns out that the french fries' bouquet includes butterscotch, bitter cocoa, onion, cheese, flowers and even …ironing boards. These aromas combine to make one of the most addictive foods known to man.

Lead researcher, Dr. Graham Clayton speculates that "perhaps these findings will see chips treated like wine in the future – with chip fans turning into buffs as they impress their friends with eloquent descriptions of their favourite fries." Hopefully this won't mean that people start eating aged french fries.

Aluminum Foil Revelation

You know when you try to pull some tin foil out and the roll comes out of the box? Well, apparently, on the sides of box there is a little tab you can poke in that locks the roll in place. This could possibly shave hours of frustration off your life, especially when the Seran Wrap comes out while your taring a piece and then gets all bunchy. I hate that.

Thanks Meredith for the heads-up.

Our Lady of the Manatee-Shaped Potato

Sarasota man, Len Higley, was shopping for potatoes at his local Publix when he came across this beaut:He's not going to eat it, but he doesn't know what to do with it. What would you do with a potato shaped like a Manatee? (Via ABC)

Greening Printers: Coffee Grind Ink Cartridges

'The paperless office is a great notion, but in reality there are still many scenarios where the printer needs to be switched on and fed with environmentally unfriendly consumables - paper and ink. Recycling and re-using paper for print jobs has become well entrenched, but the expensive and often frustrating process of replenishing the ink remains an issue for many of us. Which brings us to one of the cleverest recycling ideas to emerge from this year's Greener Gadgets competition - the RITI printer. This design concept by Jeon Hwan Ju takes your coffee or tea dregs, plus a little elbow grease, and turns them into an eco-friendly alternative to conventional ink.'

1. Insert a paper in the middle of the printer
2. Put the coffee or tea dregs into the ink case on the top of the printer
3. Move the ink case left and right as you draw on a paper
4. When the print finishes, pull out the paper from the printer and wash the ink case

Check it out at at the Core77's Greener Gadget Design Competition. (via Gizmag.com)

Watch Dog People Make Bread

Sesame Tooth holds a special place in its heart for Sesame Street. And when the two combine, it's pure dynamite:



(The best part is at the very end around 1:53)