Kamis, 19 Mei 2011

Seafood: 5 Ways processing

Although seafood, especially fish, are often considered high-mercury content, but people still love this food. Seafood is high in protein, low fat, so it is a healthy food source for the heart.Most fish and shellfish will taste best if cooked and eaten on the day you bought it. Only, you need to be more careful in the process. One of processing these foods, you can lose nutrients. There are various ways to process the seafood that you can select, for example, baked, steamed, or boiled.

1. Burnt 

Burn seafood actually easy, as long as you follow the rules. Minyaki first grill to avoid sticking in pemanggangnya meat, and keep the flame of the fire is in the medium-range of fish (or other foodstuffs). Also avoid using a fork to flip the meat, because the fork can cause fish fillets crushed and lose moisture. I stole with lemon juice to improve flavor.

2. Sauteed / fried 

Saute briefly to release flavor seafood in an instant, without covering the original flavor the meat. You can make it mild and tender seafood, with a douse with a little olive oil and spices, or coating with a dry breadcrumbs. After that, cooking a piece of dried protein-rich meal on the outside and soft inside.

3. Baked 

Grilling fish be a good way when you have a lot of time. Because, to roast you should cook meat to proper heat. Preheat the oven while you prepare the dish knick-knacks, the following ingredients. Spices will add flavor to the seafood and keeping it moist and tender. Slice meat thickly fish, including for meat with high fat content, so that the meat does not dry when baked.

4. Boiled 

Boiling seafood takes a special skill. You must keep the fire is not too large so that the water is not too big seethe, and time is limited. If not, the meat will become hard. When the water boiled in an appropriate temperature and seasoned properly, the result is dishes with a taste. You can boil it with water, wine, or broth (make sure not too salty). In this way, you can ensure jgua dishes do not contain too much fat.

5. Steamed

 In addition to vegetables, which are also good food cooked by steaming the fish. Most fish can be steamed whole, or make fillet first. Season the fish lightly and then used as drops of lemon to eliminate fishy.Steamed fish will retain flavor and nutritional value such as Omega-3 fatty acids found in all seafood. With steaming, the fish meat will not be destroyed during the cooking process in a food steamer. Compare if you are boiling, roasting, sauteing, or heating the fish in other ways. Fish will lose nutrients.

1001 Benefits of Spinach For Natural Healing

Popeye's favorite vegetable, cartoon character is indeed good sailor disayur nodes. In addition to eliminating sluggish, spinach juice made useful to overcome various kinds of digestive disease, one of which peptic ulcers.Spinach, vegetable plants known by the scientific name Amaranthus spp (in Greek, means eternal Amaranth) was originally known as an ornamental plant. However, once known to contain various nutrients, this plant is then promoted as a food source as well.Plants of the Amaranthaceae family has about 60 genera that are divided into approximately 800 species of spinach. However, of the many types of it, divided into two kinds of spinach, wild spinach and spinach that is cultivation.There are two types of wild spinach, namely land spinach (A. blitum L.) and spiny amaranth (A. spinosus L.). The main characteristic of wild spinach are colored red stalks and leaves are stiff (Java: coarse).Type spinach cultivation can be divided into two kinds, namely pull spinach, spinach sekul, white or spinach (A. tricolor L.) and spinach or spinach-year snapper. The characteristics of spinach pull is to have colored stems reddish or whitish green, and flowers out of the axillary branches. Spinach pull the red stalks called red spinach, while the stem is white and white is called spinach. Spinach or spinach-year snapper (A. hybridus L.), broadleaf characteristics. Spinach is divided into two kinds of species, namely A. hybridus and A. caudatus L. hibridus paniculatus L.A. Characteristics hybridus L. caudatus leafy rather long with pointed tip, reddish-green or dark red, the flowers are arranged in a long series collected at the end of the rod. A. hibridus paniculatus L. has a very broad base of leaves, green, long wreaths arranged regularly and in large axillary panicles.

King of Vegetables 

Nutrient content of spinach so much. According to Drs. Seno Sastroamidjojo, in 100 grams of spinach contained 21.0 Kcal, 92.9 grams water, 2.1 grams protein, 0.2 grams fat, 2.7 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g fiber, 1.4 g ash , 90.0 mg calcium, phosphorus 29.0 mg, iron 3.8 mg, sodium 131.0 mg, potassium 385.0 mg, 4080.0 mcg beta-carotene, 0.08 mg vitamin B1, vitamin B2 0.15 mg , niacin 0.7 mg, and vitamin C 76.7 mg. Because of this high nutritional content, spinach is often referred to as the 'King of vegetables' or 'King of Vegetables'.The content of folic acid and oxalic acid to make spinach can be used to help solve various problems. For example, lower cholesterol, prevent gum disease, treat eczema, asthma, skin care for face, scalp, and hair. The most famous is treating passionate feeling lethargic and less as a sign of lack of blood.Moreover, the higher the fiber considerable influence why spinach is very good for our digestion. Thus, diseases such as constipation, heart disease, stroke, and problems concerning blood pressure and blood vessels can be overcome. However, in addition to its benefits, spinach still have limitations. The weakness lies in spinach during the processing process. We should not cook spinach with an aluminum pan. Aluminum can react with lead poisoning due to iron contained in spinach.More than that, we also should not eat spinach if the vegetable is past than five hours after cooking. And like other vegetables, spinach is also not good if cooked too long on the fire because it causes a lot of wasted nutrients.And the most important thing to note is that those who suffer from gout and rheumatism. They should not be mengasup vegetables of this type because it can cause intense pain and excessive uric acid relapse. This occurs because the purine content of substances in spinach is very high. Purine is then converted into uric acid in the body.

Various Potions Spinach 

In addition to vegetable made clear, we can use for medicinal uses spinach. Here are some spinach herb taken from various sources, one of Indonesia's Atlas of Plant Medicine Part 2.

Constipation, Sore Gums, Peptic 

Ingredients: - a bunch of spinach - a spoonful of honeyDirections:How I Clean spinach and cut its roots first. Enter in the juicer. After that drink the juice of half a liter a day. Do it for a few daysHow II After being washed and cut, minced spinach until smooth. Add a half cup of boiled water and one tablespoon of honey. After it is squeezed and filtered. Drink three times a day, each time half a cup.

Skin Care Home, Head, and Hair

Ingredients: - a handful of turmeric - a bunch of spinach leavesDirections:How I Spinach cleaned, a new blend. After that squeeze and take the water. Take turmeric after cleaning. Cut into small pieces and put into blender. Add water as needed. Squeeze the juice of turmeric and leave the water. Mix the turmeric and spinach juice. Add a little warm water. Use to wash your face or shampoo.How II Enter the bunch of spinach that had been cleaned to the jucier. Use spinach juice to scrub all parts of your face around the corners of the eyes, forehead, lips and chin. Do this treatment for five minutes when I wake in the morning and at night before bed. If necessary rinse with cold water.

Bronchitis, anemia, fever, Whitish, Lever Disorders 

Materials - a bunch of spinach - a spoonful of honeyDirections: Enter the spinach in a blender with a little boiled water added. Squeeze the spinach and add honey blenderan into it. Drink once a day, one glass.

Stung by a bee, caterpillar Feather, Centipede

Ingredients: - a handful of spinachHow to Make a paste of spinach and crushed body parts that hurt or itch. Can also equipped with a spinach juice and drink one cup once a day.

Benefits of Fish Oil, For Your Health

Although it smells fishy, ​​fish oil benefits for human health is enormous. In addition to vitamins A and D, polyunsaturated fatty acids they contain increase the intelligence and the immune system of children under five. For adults, eating fatty fish may also ward off cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and coronary heart disease.

Compared to other animal fats, fatty fish (better known as fish oils) contain very little cholesterol. This is very beneficial to health because excess cholesterol can cause health problems. Increasing public awareness of the need for good nutrition to support health has encouraged increased consumption of fish oil in the world.

This is based on the fact that fish oils (especially fish) contain many polyunsaturated fatty acids (polyunsaturated fatty acids / PUFAs). Polyunsaturated fatty acids are very beneficial to the process of intelligence, vision, and the immune system. In addition, useful also in tackling the problem of atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and coronary heart disease.

Sea Fish Better 

Based on the accumulation of oil, the fish can be classified into two groups. First, groups of fish that keep oil in the liver (fish liver oil), such as mackerel, cod, and sharks. Second, groups of fish that keep oil in the meat (fish body oil), such as lemuru, whale, eel, tuna, mackerel, and herring.
Based on the content of its oil, fish can be grouped into: (1) little fatty fish (lean fish) with oil content less than 2 percent, (2) low fatty fish (low fat) with 24 percent oil content, (3) are fatty fish ( medium fat) with oil content of 48 percent, (4) fatty fish (high fat) with oil content of more than 8 percent.
Oil levels in fish vary widely, influenced by many factors: species (kinds) of fish, sex, level of maturity (age), season, spawning cycle, and geographic location. Composition of marine fish oil is more complex, containing unsaturated fatty acid chain length, which is more than freshwater fish.
Unsaturated fatty acid chain length in marine fish oils generally contain 18, 20, and 22 carbon atoms, which are connected by 36 double bond. While the fatty acid composition of freshwater fish generally contain 16 and 18 carbon atoms, which are connected by 13 double bond. The more carbon chain length and the greater the number of double bonds constituent fatty acids, the greater the role of these fatty acids for health.
Fatty fish consist of smaller units called fatty acids. Fatty acids in fish oil consists of three types, namely: (1) saturated fatty acid (do not have double bonds), for example palmitic acid, myristic acid, and stearic acid, (2) monounsaturated fatty acid (having one double bond) , for example, oleic, and (3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (having more than one double bond), for example, linoleic, linolenic, arachidonic (AA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA). DHA many marine fish species found in salmon, tuna (especially bluefin tuna which has five times more DHA), sardines, herring, mackerel, and shellfish. Generally, fish oils contain about 25 percent saturated fatty acids and 75 percent unsaturated fatty acids.

Reduced Death Risk
 
Epidemiological studies have shown there is an inverse relationship between fish consumption and the incidence of coronary heart disease. In the group who ate fish at least 30 grams a day, the risk of death from coronary heart disease was reduced 50 percent compared to the group who did not consume fish. Active substances that play an important role in the relationship is Omega-3 fatty acids.Different fish oils with vegetable oils and land animals. Fish oil generally has a composition of fatty acids with carbon chain length and double bond that many (polyunsaturated fatty acids / PUFAs). Fatty acids in fish oil has Omega-3 configuration, whereas in plants and land animals contain very little omega-3 fatty acids it. More plant oils contain fatty acids Omega-6 berkonfigurasi than Omega-3.Omega-3 fatty acids are dominant in fish is linolenic acid which is composed of 18 carbon atoms and 3 double bonds, eicosapentaenoic acid (eicosapentaenoic acid / EPA), which is composed of 20 carbon atoms and 5 double bonds, and docosahexaenoic acid (docosahexaenoic acid / DHA ) which is composed of 22 carbon atoms and 6 double bonds.Omega-3 fatty acids often found in marine fish, such as lemuru, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna and anchovies. Lemuru fish oil rich in EPA whose numbers may reach 7.1 g/100 g, while the tuna oil rich in DHA with the amount of 8.2 g/100 g.Fish in cans is not a source of Omega-3 is good, because in the process, fish oil is intentionally discarded and replaced with palm oil, tomato sauce, or salt water as a soaking medium. Removal of oil purposely done so that fish can not easily rancid due teroksidasinya unsaturated fatty acids from fish.Omega-3 fatty acids have proven very beneficial for health, namely: (1) be hypocholesterolemic (lowering blood cholesterol levels), (2) prevent it from occurring blood clotting pieces thus avoiding the blockage of blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and coronary heart disease prevention , (3) reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus (diabetes), hypertension (high blood pressure), various cancers, skin diseases, and help increase endurance, (4) plays an important role in the process of fetal brain growth.

Three Critical Period 

In conjunction with Omega-3 activity, there are three critical periods in human life, ie during pregnancy, lactation, and infancy. During pregnancy, omega-3 fatty acids are transferred through the placenta to the fetus. During the period of breastfeeding, maternal diet obtained will influence the content of omega-3 fatty acids in milk. Thus, the food consumed by the mother during pregnancy and lactation should contain Omega-3 fatty acids in sufficient quantities, especially those derived from the consumption of fish or fish oil concentrates.The toddler, Omega-3 will accumulate in the brain and retina of the eye. The development of the human brain since the baby still in the womb, until the first two years after birth.Seeing the growth process of the brain is unique and takes place in a relatively short time, poor maternal nutritional status during pregnancy and breastfeeding will affect the growth and disruption of the brain, both in number and completeness of brain cells. The condition can affect memory and intelligence, which can continue into adulthood.Given so many benefits from fish oil, some industries competing to make fish oil concentrates. The product is in the form of a mixture or pure, in the form of capsules of EPA and DHA. Concentrated fish oil is coated with gelatin as a patron.Generally sold in the market is concentrated fish oil in gelatin capsules size 1 gram of vitamin E addition of 1 IU per gram as a stabilizer. This product has been developed by many countries (especially Japan and Korea) as a medicinal ingredient and / or nutritional supplements. Especially for children under five, fish oil is also traded in the form of syrup or emulsion.World Health Organization (WHO) and the British Nutrition Foundation recommends the addition of DHA in infant formula with the recommended dose of 20 milligrams per kilogram of weight of a normal baby, or 40 milligrams per kilogram of weight premature babies. Adequate intake of DHA will help children to concentrate and make that hyperactive children became calmer.

Asal mula kata HOAX


Haha.. Ga kebayang waktu malunya waktu temen-temen sering menyebut Hoax. Saya sendiri baru tau kata ini setelah sering nimbrung dalam forum-forum di internet. :)
Hoax adalah suatu kata yang digunakan untuk menunjukan pemberitaan palsu atau usaha untuk menipu atau mengakali pembaca / pendengarnya untuk mempercayai sesuatu yang biasanya digunakan dalam forum-forum internet.
Tapi mungkin kebanyakan netter yang banyak menggunakan kata hoax justru ga tahu bagaimana sejarah penggunaan kata hoax sendiri. Kata hoax sebenarnya muncul pertama kali di kalangan netter Amerika, kata hoax didasarkan pada sebuah judul film yang berjudul The Hoax.
The Hoax adalah sebuah film drama Amerika 2006 yang disutradarai oleh Lasse Hallström. yang diskenario oleh William Wheeler, film ini dibuat berdasarkan buku dengan judul yang sama oleh Clifford Irving dan berfokus pada biografi irving sendiri, serta Howard Hughes yang dianggap dianggap membantu menulis.
Banyak kejadian yang diuraikan Irving dalam bukunya yang diubah atau dihilangkan dari film, dan penulis kemudian berkata, “saya dipekerjakan oleh produser sebagai penasihat teknis film, tapi setelah membaca naskah terakhir saya meminta agar nama saya dihapus dari kredit film.” Itu mungkin disebabkan karna plot naskah tak sesuai dengan novel aslinya.

Selasa, 17 Mei 2011

Food Allergies

Doctors are diagnosing more and more people with food allergies. People can be allergic to any food, but eight common allergens account for most food allergy reactions:
  1. milk
  2. eggs
  3. peanuts
  4. soy
  5. wheat
  6. tree nuts (such as walnuts and cashews)
  7. fish
  8. shellfish (such as shrimp)
Young kids who have food allergies often outgrow their allergy — but not always. A lot depends on which foods someone is allergic to. Some foods are easier to outgrow than others. For example, most kids who are allergic to milk, eggs, wheat, or soy outgrow their allergies by the time they're 5 years old. But only about 20% of people with peanut allergy and about 10% of kids with tree nut allergy outgrow their allergy. Fish and shellfish allergies usually develop later in life, and people are unlikely to outgrow them.

What Happens in the Body

Food allergies happen when someone's immune system mistakenly believes that something the person ate is harmful to the body. In an attempt to "protect" the body, the immune system produces IgE antibodies to that food. IgE antibodies then trigger mast cells (which are allergy cells in the body) to release chemicals into the bloodstream.
One of these chemicals is histamine (pronounced: hiss-tuh-meen). Histamine acts on the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin, or gastrointestinal tract and causes symptoms of the allergic reaction.
Once the body has made antibodies against a certain food, those antibodies instantly recognize that food. Each time the person eats the food, the body releases histamine into the bloodstream again, creating allergy symptoms. In severe food allergies, reactions can occur even if the person touches or breathes in particles of the food.

About Reactions

Some reactions can be very mild and involve only one system of the body, like hives on the skin. Other reactions can be more severe and involve more than one part of the body. Most reactions last less than a day and affect any of these four body systems:
  1. Skin. Skin reactions are the most common type of food allergy reactions. They can take the form of itchy, red, bumpy rashes (hives), eczema, or redness and swelling around the mouth or face.
  2. Gastrointestinal system. Symptoms can take the form of belly cramps, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
  3. Respiratory system. Symptoms can range from a runny or stuffy nose, itchy, watery eyes, and sneezing to the triggering of asthma with coughing and wheezing.
  4. Cardiovascular system. A person may feel lightheaded or faint.
Most reactions happen pretty soon after eating a particular food. Everyone's different, though. So although two people may have peanut allergy, for example, both may not have the same type of allergic reaction. And even the same person can have different reactions to a particular food, depending on factors like how much he or she was exposed to.

Severe Reactions

When someone has a serious allergic reaction that involves two or more body systems, this condition is known as anaphylaxis. This is a sudden, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, anaphylaxis can cause swelling of the airway, serious breathing difficulty, a drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and, in some cases, even death.
Because food allergies can be severe, people who think they might be allergic to a certain food should see a doctor. It may be tempting to just not eat that food, but allergens can be hidden in surprising places, and without a doctor's diagnosis a person can't know exactly what to avoid.

Apa itu Angin Duduk atau Angina?

Istilah angin duduk atau angina mungkin kata yang pernah Anda dengar. Pengertian angin duduk masih simpang siur. Ada yang menganggap angin duduk seperti masuk angin tetapi dapat mematikan, ada pula yang menganggap angin duduk sebagai hal yang berbahaya dan dapat menimbulkan kematian. Dalam istilah kedokteran sendiri, tidak dikenal istilah angin duduk. Apa sebenarnya yang dimaksud dengan angin duduk atau angina?

Angina

Disebut sebagai angin duduk atau angina karena orang yang mengalaminya dapat meninggal secara tiba-tiba. Mungkin pada saat duduk tiba-tiba orang tersebut meninggal. Angin duduk berhubungan dengan jantung. Karena tidak ada dalam istilah kedokteran, maka istilah yang mirip dengan yang dimaksud angin duduk adalah angina pectoris yang ditandai dengan rasa nyeri pada dada sebelah kiri.
Jantung terletak pada bagian dalam dada kiri Anda. Jantung yang kekurangan oksigen akan menyebabkan rasa nyeri, itulah sebabnya dada kiri Anda terasa nyeri. Rasa nyeri dan dada terasa seperti ditekan dapat berlangsung mulai dari 5 menit sampai 30 menit. Rasa nyeri ini bisa menjalar sampai ke bahu dan lengan kiri Anda. Jadi pada intinya, angin duduk atau angina merupakan penyakit jantung iskemik, yang disebabkan berkurangnya pasokan oksigen maupun aliran darah ke jantung.
Secara garis besar, rasa nyeri akibat kekurangan oksigen dapat terjadi karena dua penyebab. Yang pertama, karena adanya penyumbatan pada pembuluh darah di sekitar jantung yang membawa oksigen. Akibat dari penyempitan ini adalah kurangnya oksigen dari yang jumlah yang dibutuhkan. Penyebab kedua adalah adanya aktivitas berat yang mengakibatkan terjadinya lonjakan oksigen yang lebih daripada biasanya. Aktivitas yang dapat menyebabkan lonjakan kebutuhan oksigen misalnya saat berolahraga, mendaki, atau saat mengalami stres. 

Gejala Angina

Rasa nyeri atau rasa ditekan di dada, merupakan gejala yang paling dapat dirasakan ketika terkena angina. Angina dapat menjadi peringatan bagi setengah dari mereka yang menderita serangan jantung. Beberapa orang mengalami napas tersengal-sengal atau kelelahan dan perasaan lunglai sebagai gejalanya. Hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa jantung tidak mendapatkan cukup oksigen karena penyumbatan koroner. Jika Anda sering mengalami hal tersebut, segeralah ke dokter untuk memeriksa jantung Anda. Meskipun demikian, setelah angina diberi perawatan, tidak ada jaminan bahwa serangan jantung dapat dicegah. Namun perawatan tersebut akan menurunkan risiko terjadinya serangan jantung dalam waktu dekat.

Menghindari Angina

Perhatikan juga angka sehat tubuh yang cukup penting untuk tubuh Anda, misalnya dengan menjaga:
  • Tekanan darah

    Tekanan darah dapat menyebabkan serangan angina pectoris karena tekanan darah yang tinggi dapat membuat kebutuhan tubuh terhadap oksigen meningkat. Info selengkapnya tentang tekanan darah tinggi atau hipertensi, dapat Anda temukan di artikel hipertensi.
  • Kadar Gula

    Tingkat kadar gula yang tinggi akan menghambat proses masuknya oksigen ke jantung. Info selengkapnya tentang gula darah dan diabetes, dapat Anda temukan di artikel: Diabetes.
  • Kolesterol

    Tingkat kolesterol harus dipantau karena penyumbat yang umum ditemukan pada pembuluh darah adalah lemak atau plak kolesterol. Info selengkapnya tentang kolesterol, dapat Anda temukan di artikel: Kolesterol.
Melakukan pemeriksaan darah yang sederhana sering kali mengindikasikan bahaya yang menanti lama sebelum seseorang mengalami gejala yang terlihat seperti angina. Maka, penting untuk memeriksakan tingkat kolesterol darah, kadar gula darah, dan juga tekanan darah Anda. Menjaga agar hal tersebut dalam batas yang normal menjadi hal yang penting untuk menghindari angina.

Mengatasi Angina

Seseorang yang merasakan rasa nyeri pada dada, sebaiknya segera memperbaiki pola hidup dan memeriksakan ke dokter. Jika kondisinya dibiarkan tanpa perawatan, kemungkinan besar hal itu akan memicu serangan jantung yang sangat fatal.
Selain itu, pola hidup tidak sehat menjadi hal yang umum yang menjadi penyebab angina dan taraf yang lebih parah yaitu serangan jantung. Kebiasaan merokok, tidak pernah berolahraga, makanan dengan kadar kolesterol tinggi, obesitas atau stres dapat menjadi pemicunya.
Angina merupakan indikasi bahwa ada yang tidak beres pada jantung Anda karena jika tidak dilakukan perubahan mungkin dapat menyebabkan serangan jantung yang dapat merenggut nyawa. Segeralah ubah pola hidup untuk menjalankan pola hidup yang sehat. Jangan lupa untuk berolahraga secara teratur dan jika Anda pernah terkena serangan angina atau angin duduk atau pernah memiliki penyakit jantung sebaiknya pilih olahraga yang jangan terlalu berat.

Going bananas



Banana 

Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit after tomatoes. In western countries, they could account for 3% of a grocer’s total sales. Bananas consistently are the number one compliant of grocery shoppers. Most people complain when bananas are overripe or even freckled. The fact is that spotted bananas are sweeter, with a sugar content of more than 20%, compared with 3% in a green banana.
As if fighting with their consumers over bananas is not enough big retailers often turn on each other. In 2002, Asda-Walmart fired the first, uhm, banana in a price war with big British supermarket chain Tesco and others. The gorilla war (which includes guerrilla war tactics) would spill over onto other battle shelves and – even after a trade truce in 2009 – the price war is ongoing.
Banana Trade War
The banana war didn’t begin or end there. The biggest banana complaint desk is the World Trade Organization (WTO). Starting in 1975 but eventually turning into the so-called Banana War in 1991, the United States peeled the gloves off to go up against the European Union, whose citizens go ape for the yellow wonder. The EU imports more than 3 billion tonnes annually… but that is less than the United States.
This is not even half of the story. The Banana War eventually spilled over into Italian cheese, German coffee, French handbags and Scottish cashmere trade disputes. The gorillas refused to turn yellow and although the white flags reached half-mast in 2001 and in 2005, no-one came down their herb. (The banana plant is not a tree; it actually is a giant herb.)  The banana war became the longest trade dispute in history, ending only in 2009 after 16 years.
Banana Wars with Real Live Ammo
Bananas obviously is no monkey business. The Banana Republics were called such because of the hideous Banana Wars (not to be confused with the mention Banana Trade War), starting in the 1920s, in which thousands of innocent people died needlessly in the so-called American imperialism effort. It is now known in fair detail how big banana firms sponsored right-wing militias. Further reading on CorpWatch and Latin American Studies.
The Beautiful Banana
Fortunately, there is a very nice side to every banana. To get to the root of the not-so-humble banana as a beautiful tasty thingy, take a bite at banana.com. Keep in mind, though, that, true to the banana tradition, some of the serving is spotted.
Savor this: the banana is not the world’s most popular fruit! That title belongs to what the French used to call “the apple of love” and the Germans “the apple of paradise” – the mighty tomato.

James Bond 007

He is handsome, tall, drives a fast car, has an unlimited expense account, and always gets the girl. That’s just the actor. The character he portrays also has a license to kill.
James Bond debuted in Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale in 1953. The novel was adapted for television in 1954, featuring Barry Nelson as 007. The first Bond movie, Dr No, was released in 1962, starring Sean Connery. David Niven took the lead in a spoof version of Casino Royale in 1967; it is not recognized as part of the Bond franchise. Since Dr No, the equivalent of half the world’s population have seen at least one Bond movie.
Daniel Craig Daniel Craig
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
George Lazenby
George Lazenby
Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Sean Connery starred in seven Bond movies (including the “unofficial” Never Say Never Again in 1983), George Lazenby in one, Roger Moore in seven, and Timothy Dalton in two. Pierce Brosnan was issued his fourth licence to thrill in the 21th Bond movie, Die Another Day. Daniel Craig had his martini shaken, not stirred, in the 22nd Bond movie, a remake of Casino Royale. He kissed the girls in the 23rd (officially 22nd) Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, released in 2008. All the 007 actors are over 1,8 metres (6 feet) tall.
In the first 22 movies, Bond has 23 vodka martinis, 6 of which he orders himself but two of those he never receives. The rest are prepared and brought to him. Most surprisingly, in his 7 appearances as Bond, Sean Connery utters the phrase “shaken, not stirred” only once, in Goldfinger. In Fleming’s novels, Bond drinks gin martinis instead of vodka martinis.
007
The 007 sign
The Bond character was said to have been based on Dr John Dee, the very first British secret agent. Dee, who lived from 1527 to 1608, was an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. He was a brilliant mathematician, magician, philosopher, alchemist and astrologer. During his time, England was at war with Spain, and fearing spies, Dee designed the 007 code for his correspondence with the Queen. The 2 zeros indicated “for your eyes only,” and the 7 was a cabalistic, or, cryptic number. Dr Dee was not the only secret agent of the time. Seeing Spain amassing a new vast empire in the “New World” (the Americas), Queen Elizabeth secretly sent the pirate-turned-explorer Englishman Francis Drake (1540-1596) west with the added intent to harass the Spanish. It is known that Dr Dee and Drake actually met to discuss strategies.
However, Fleming explained the creation of Bond: “I extracted the Bond plots from my wartime memories, dolled them up, attached a hero, a villain, and a heroine, and there was the book.”
Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 Aug 1964) was attached to the British Naval Intelligence Division during World War II. After the war, Fleming purchased a patch of land in Jamaica and built a bungalow on it, calling it Goldeneye. It was here, in his forties, on 14 July 1952 that after three attempts the first words of the first Bond novel were created: “The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning.”
The Bond name was simply borrowed from the author of Birds of the West Indies. The character M was modeled on Admiral John Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence Division (NID), to whom in 1939 Fleming was made personal assistant.
In the novels, James Bond and Q actually never meet. Fleming wrote about Major Boothroyd and the Q branch but never mentioned a character called Q.
Author John Gardner took over the writing of Ian Fleming in 1981 with his first novel License Renewed. Sixteen years later he relinquished the 007 pen to Raymond Benson who debuted with Zero Minus Ten and ending with his last offering called The Man With The Red Tattoo in 2002. Three years on, Charlie Higson was awarded the challenge to depict the teenager Bond in a 1930s setting in a series of 5 Young Bond books, starting with Silverfin.
Places where James Bond made love
In the first 22 movies, Bond is told 35 times that he will die. He doesn’t, of course. What he does, however, is make love 81 times: in a hotel room (20 times), London flat (2), at her place (15), someone else’s place (2), on a train (3), in a barn (2), in a forest (2), in a gypsy tent (2), hospital (3), in a plane (2), in a submarine (1), in a car (1), on a motorized iceberg (1), in, around, under, or by water (25 times). Of the first 62 Bond girls, 31 were brunettes, 25 blonds, and 4 redheads. Women moaned “Oh, James!” 16 times.

World’s largest encyclopedia

The word encyclopedia comes from two Greek words meaning “a circle of learning.” The oldest known encyclopedia was written in Greece about 2000 years ago. It’s no longer in existence. The oldest encyclopedia in existence was written in the 1st century by Roman scholar Gaius Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Elder). His encyclopaedia, called Natural History, has 37 volumes.

The largest ever encyclopedia is the Yung-Lo Ta-Tien encyclopedia. It was commissioned in 1403 by Emperor Yongle and is also known as the Yongle Encyclopedia. Written by 2000 writers, it was completed in 1408 and bound in 11,095 volumes, of which some 400 volumes survived.

Fakta-fakta Menarik Tentang Pluto

PLUTO yang juga dikenal dengan nama Pluto 134340 adalah sebuah planet kerdil dalam sistem Tata  Surya Bimasakti. Letak Pluto berada dalam sebuah wilayah terluar Tata Surya yang bernama Sabuk Kuiper. Sabuk Kuiper sendiri adalah sebutan untuk wilayah di luar orbit planet Neptunus hingga jarak 50 Satuan Astronomi (SA/1 Satuan Astronomi = jarak rata-rata Matahari-Bumi, yakni sekitar 149,6 juta kilometer) dari Matahari. Pluto memiliki orbit yang unik saat mengelilingi matahari, orbitnya berbentuk melonjong dan kisaran jaraknya sekitar 4,4 – 7,4 miliar km dari Matahari. Berbeda dengan planet-planet lainnya di Tata Surya, Pluto cenderung bergerak mendekati Matahari saat melakukan perjalanan orbit. Akibatnya, terkadang Pluto berjarak lebih dekat dengan Matahari (atau Bumi) daripada Neptunus.
Di antara obyek-obyek yang ada dalam Tata Surya, Pluto adalah yang terkecil baik dalam ukuran maupun jumlah masa. Pluto bahkan lebih kecil daripada 7 bulan di tata surya, (Bulan, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Calisto, Titan, dan Triton). Pluto memiliki diameter 4.862 km dan memiliki massa 0,002 massa Bumi. Periode rotasi Pluto adalah 6,39 hari, sedangkan periode revolusi adalah 248,4 tahun. Bentuk Pluto mirip dengan Bulan dengan atmosfer yang mengandung metan. Suhu permukaan Pluto berkisar -233o Celsius sampai dengan-223o Celsius, sehingga sebagian besar berwujud es. Seperti sejumlah planet Tata Surya lain, Pluto juga mempunyai beberapa bulan/satelit yang mengitarinya. Bulan-bulan itu adalah: Charon (ditemukan oleh astronom James Christy pada tahun 1978), Nix dan Hydra (keduanya ditemukan pada tahun 2005)

Penemuan Pluto
Proses penemuan Pluto sebenarnya diawali dengan kekeliruan interpretasi sejumlah astronom yang mendapati adanya kekacauan dalam orbit Uranus. Semula mereka berasumsi bahwa Neptunuslah yang mengacaukan orbit Uranus karena tarikan gravitasinya. Di akhir abad 19, setelah melakukan observasi lanjutan, para astronom berpendapat bahwa ada planet lain selain Neptunus yang mengganggu orbit Uranus.
Pada tahun 1905 seorang astronom AS, Percival Lowell, memulai proyek pencarian planet ke-sembilan dalam sistem Tata Surya. Lowell bersama rekannya, William H. Pickering, mengajukan beberapa konsep koordinat planet ke-sembilan dalam Tata Surya yang mereka namakan “Planet X”. Lowell meninggal pada tahun 1916, akan tetapi proyek pencariannya tetap dilanjutkan. Nama Lowell diabadikan sebagai nama observatorium yang didirikannya pada tahun 1894.
Pada bulan Januari 1930, Clyde Tombaugh, seorang peneliti yang juga anggota tim proyek pencarian planet ke-sembilan dalam Tata Surya di Observatorium Lowell, berhasil mencitrakan beberapa pergerakan sebuah obyek misterius di luar angkasa. Tim peneliti dalam proyek tersebut berkesimpulan bahwa obyek luar angkasa itu adalah sebuah planet dan untuk memastikannya mereka kemudian mengirim hasil pencitraan obyek luar angkasa itu ke Observatorium Harvard College untuk diteliti lebih lanjut.
Setelah dipastikan bahwa obyek yang ditemukan itu adalah sebuah planet, Tombaugh dan ketua tim peneliti, Vesto Melvin Slipher, menggelar sayembara untuk mencarikan nama bagi planet ke-sembilan itu. Nama Pluto dicetuskan oleh Venetia Burney, seorang anak perempuan umur sebelas tahun asal Oxford, Inggris. Venetia yang gemar mempelajari mitologi Yunani Kuno dan astronomi pertama kali mengusulkan nama ini pada kakeknya, Falconer Madan, mantan pustakawan di Universitas Oxford, Inggris. Madan kemudian meneruskan usul cucunya ini pada Profesor Herbert Hall Turner yang kemudian meneruskannya lagi pada rekan-rekannya di Amerika.
Setelah melalui proses penyeleksian, pada 24 Maret 1930, tim peneliti di Observatorium Lowell berembuk untuk menentukan mana di antara 3 nama berikut yang akan dijadikan nama planet baru itu yaitu: “Minerva”, “Cronus”, dan “Pluto”. Akhirnya, pada 1 Mei 1930, tim memutuskan nama planet baru itu adalah “Pluto”.
Eksplorasi ke Pluto
Sejauh ini eksplorasi ke Pluto menjadi tantangan besar bagi sejumlah negara adikuasa yang telah memiliki pesawat ulang-alik luar angkasa. Bukan hanya karena Pluto berjarak sangat jauh dari bumi namun juga karena Pluto hanya memiliki massa yang kecil dan suhunya sangat dingin. Hingga penghujung abad 20 belum ada upaya serius dari negara-negara adikuasa untuk melakukan misi perjalanan ke Pluto. Bahkan di tahun 2000, Badan Antariksa AS (NASA) membatalkan misi Pluto Kuiper Express karena alasan dana.
Namun setelah melewati perdebatan panjang, akhirnya misi perjalanan ke Pluto dicanangkan kembali oleh pemerintah AS pada 2003. Misi perjalanan yang menggunakan pesawat tanpa awak ini diberi nama “New Horizons”. New Horizons telah sukses diluncurkan pada tanggal 19 Januari 2006. Pesawat ini dilengkapi dengan sejumlah peralatan kendali jarak jauh untuk mengenali citra geologi dan morfologi Pluto bersama satelitnya, Charon, memetakan komposisi permukaannya, dan menganalisa atmosfirnya. Selain itu juga New Horizons akan memotret permukaan Pluto dan Charon. Uniknya, dalam pesawat canggih ini juga disertakan abu jenazah sang penemu Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh (meninggal tahun 1997). Sayangnya, New Horizons diperkirakan baru akan mendekati orbit Pluto nanti pada tahun 2015. Setelah itu, barulah para ilmuwan NASA bisa mengungkap lebih jauh tentang misteri planet ‘mungil’ ini.
Pluto bukan planet?
Bagaimanapun, sejak tahun 2006 Pluto sudah tidak lagi dikategorikan sebagai planet inti dalam sistem Tata Surya oleh Himpunan Astronomi Internasional (IAU). Karena sejak penemuannya pada tahun 1930 hingga pada 2006 telah ditemukan sejumlah obyek lain di bagian terluar Tata Surya yang komposisinya serupa dengan Pluto, salah satunya yaitu Eris yang mempunyai massa 27% lebih padat daripada Pluto. Pluto kini hanya digolongkan dalam planet-planet minor atau kerdil (dwarf planet) bersama dengan Eris dan Ceres dan diberi nomor 134340.