January 28, 2009 – 3:34 pm
As we all know from watching TV, sweetbreads aren’t really sweet, and ill-prepared fugu can wipe you out. Not that practicality or the laws of probability have ever stopped gourmands trying these stupid (and frankly, not that great) foodstuffs however, as confirmed by an outbreak of mass blowfish-bollock poisoning Tsuruoka, Japan.
At least on a par with Hamster-removal in the ‘embarrassing reason for being in the emergency room’ stakes, seven diners developed paralysis and lost consciousness after eating the grilled balls on Monday night, where at least three remain in critical condition. Police are holding the chef for professional negligence and serving deadly neurotoxins without a licence. And you thought McDonalds was bad for you.
LINK (MSN)
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January 9, 2009 – 7:21 pm
Usually venomous beasts come in bright red, scaly, nasty-great-pointy-teeth styles that can be slightly offputting, but if you like the idea of a cuddly wuddly killer then the BBC has coughed up some great video today. This little fella is the Hispaniolan solenodon, and despite looking like a badly groomed mole, he has the awesome distinction of being the only mammal (Apart from Dracula) that can actually inject his prey with venom! Seems these elusive creatures turn up very occasionally in Haiti and according to Dr Richard Young, from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust:
“My colleagues were excited and thrilled when they found it in the trap, but despite a month’s worth of trapping effort, they only ever caught a single individual.”
So:Haiti, home of the Zombie, and poisonous rodents – I am so going there on vacation!
LINK (BBC)
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December 16, 2008 – 12:59 am
Bitten by a snake? “Accidentally” drunk the Drain-O again after running out of gin? Poisoned by the Joker? Worry no more! according to the ever reliable Malaysian News Agency Bernama, a doctor in Kuching has whipped up the world’s first genuine cure-all.
Dr Patau Rubis claims his universal antidote, based on traditional Bidayuh healing practices, will pretty much stop any poison in it’s tracks:
“(It will)cure anyone who have been attacked or bitten by poisonous snakes, insects, bees or wasps or those who accidentally drink chemically-made poisons such as paraquat and weedkiller.I have personally saved two people from weedicide poisoning and my friend, a Bidayuh traditional healer, had already saved two from paraquat poisoning.One cup of this herbal antidote has relieved four people from snake bites, wasp and caterpillar urine.”
Sounds promising (Especially for the caterpillar urine-fancying segments of society).
LINK (Bernama)
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