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QUOTE OF THE DAY

God puts rainbows in the clouds so each of us - in our dreariest and dreaded moments - can see a possibility of hope
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7 Animals That Are Eaten Alive


SHRIMP



meals served with live shrimp
Certain shrimp dishes call for live shrimp


The dish called "drunken shrimp" is very popular in China. The shrimp are drowned in booze before they are served alive. The liquor not only makes them quite flavorful, but it also makes them just drunk enough that they don't jump out of the bowl.  But just in case, a plate covers the bowl until they are served on the table.



SEA URCHINS



Some recipes call for live sea urchins
Sea urchins are served while alive



The needles on their backs don't make sea urchins look very inviting, but people all over the world love them for their fishy flavor.   Although they can be eaten alone, most connoisseurs prefer to eat them immediately after they are added to other foods, like sushi, or right after they are cut open.  It's not unusual to see a waiter bring scissors or spears with a platter of live sea urchins.  


FROGS


Frog sashimi is served with live frogs
Live frogs on the menu


The Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods" has some pretty strange menus like frog sashimi.  By the time it is served (raw), most of the frog is dead, so diners begin the meal by eating the frog's still-beating heart. 


GRUBS AND INSECTS


TV shows always serve up live grubs
Grubs are served live on survival TV shows


I knew I was going to have a problem after I started researching this piece. You have finally come to the part of this post where my personal tastes are going to be interjected into this narrative. 


On reality shows like "Survivor" or "Fear Factor," there is almost always a task that involves eating something alive - and the task rarely calls for eating just one.  

Even though eating raw live insects and animals is normal in many countries of the world, if you have never eaten anything raw that is still wiggling, you might have a problem completing the task.


Without a doubt, I would not survive on the TV show "Survivor." I'd be dead either from the environment or the diet (or lack of).  As for trying new foods, if it didn't come in a labeled supermarket meat package and look like chicken or beef, I don't eat it. 


No matter how delicious the live "food" is supposed to be, anything that is still wiggling on its way to my mouth probably won't make it inside of my mouth.  I know I am not alone. There are a lot of people in this world who can't or won't eat live moving food, insects or animals.   

But it's normal in certain countries, like Australia, China, and Japan.
 


OYSTERS



Oysters are eaten raw
Oysters are eaten raw


Oysters on the half shell are supposed to be the healthiest when eaten raw and alive. 




OCTOPUS 



Raw octopus is eaten live
Live octopus is eaten raw



The Korea dish called Sannakji is a live octopus, served either cut up or whole, still sucking, grasping, wiggling and squirming on the plate.  Gourmet food magazines say "diners enjoy the feeling of the still-active suction cups on the octopus' arms as they suction cups stick to the roof of their mouth and after swallowed, the octopus' attempt to climb back up their throat. Novices are advised to chew before swallowing to avoid choking."  


FISH

Some fish is served with a beating heart
Some fish is served with the heart still beating


In Japan, fish that are prepared for sashimi while still alive are called "ikizukuri." The fish is typically filleted without actually being killed and served while the heart is still beating and the mouth is still gasping. 

Sometimes the fish is temporarily returned to an aquarium to swim around and recover for a second round. 


Another dish, popular in China, is called "yin yang fish," in which the fish's body is rapidly deep-fried and served while the head is still fresh and moving. Need proof? Check out this video of a freshly served yin yang fish.



https://youtu.be/2BYPuLnAscA


Sources:



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QUOTE OF THE DAY

You can have a better tomorrow if you are always thinking about yesterday
Put yesterday behind you so you can move forward

Proper Storage For Chocolate

Cold Chocolate 

There are a lot of people who love their chocolate candy cold, but the ideal temperature for chocolate is between 65 and 68°F, which is much warmer than the average refrigerator.

Storing chocolate candy in a dark place means the areas that are away from excessive heat and out of sunlight.  

Chocolate doesn't need to be kept cold
While you may prefer cold chocolate, it should be kept at
 room temperature unless you live in a warm or hot place.


Studies have shown that chocolates start melting between 75 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. So, keep the temperature low and the humidity less than 55%. 

The ideal temperature to store chocolate is between 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can store it in an air-tight container. 

If you want to store chocolate for more than six months, then put it in the freezer. 

If you live in a warm to hot climate, put your chocolate in cupboards or cabinets to protect the chocolates from humid air.


Only store your chocolate in the refrigerator if you live in a very warm climate or when your chocolate appears to be melting but isn't totally melted yet.  


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QUOTE OF THE DAY

It's amazing how much good you can do, if you don't care who gets the credit
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The Exploding Sippy Cup

The exploding Nuby light-up cup


A mother in Boise, Idaho filled a Nuby insulated light-up cup with milk and before she could hand it to her child, the cup exploded in her hands.    

The mother had to call a friend to come over and watch her children while she went to the hospital to be treated for injuries to her hands, face, and treatment for her burning throat and lungs.


The special light-up cups come with a lithium-ion battery that is installed on the bottom of the cup. They sell for about $8.00 US. The battery activates the lights that are inside the cup.


But in this case, the battery blew up.   


Malfunctioning lithium-ion batteries have been in the news when they exploded in Samsung smartphones and most recently in electric scooters. 



Luv n' care, LTD, the parent company of Nuby, asked the mother to send the cup to them so they can investigate to see if the cup was properly used.   They claim that all battery operated cups are tested and inspected before being distributed to stores.  



The mother said she had just bought the cup a few days prior and never put the cup in the microwave or the dishwasher. 



The mother told a local news station who covered the story:  “It did a lot of damage and if that was in my son's hands, I don’t even want to imagine. I really don’t.  I’m scared to death of something like this happening again with another (lithium-ion battery) product or another toy or happening to somebody else. It was super scary. I immediately couldn’t breathe – my lungs were on fire, my throat, I couldn’t stop coughing.”


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Smallest Police Station In London


London's smallest police station is located in Trafalgar Square in London England. It's so small that many people don't even notice it. The police station has room to accommodate one person, but only when they are in standing position.
.



Smallest police station in London
Smallest Police Station In London



The aptly named Lilliputian Police Station was built in the 1930s to serve as a sort of watch-post. It was meant to keep an eye on Trafalgar Square, which is a magnet for London’s protesters, rioters, marchers, and of course, the pigeons.





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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Love the people that God gave to you because He is going to want them back when you least expect it
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Air Pollution in North Korea


North Korea, with a population of 30 million people, has one of the worst air pollution problems in the world.  The photo below shows in the background the reason for the pollution - two large smokestacks emanating coal dust.




Coal dust from smokestacks is reason for North Korea's air pollution
Coal dust accounts for most of North Korea's air pollution




Their air pollution is so bad that their quality of air is rated as unacceptable, by every country that measures air pollution.

There are several reasons for this. 


1. North Korea relies on coal for power which creates smog in their air.  


2. Their public transportation runs 24/7 and none of their vehicles are eco-friendly.


3. They have chopped down over half of their forests to use for food, firewood and paper products so there are very few trees left in their forests.  They have not replanted any trees in over 30 years to replace what they chopped down.


4.  The water in their lakes, rivers, and streams are polluted by waste.  


5. Their crops are tainted from smog, coal, and other pollutants making it barely edible.


The North Korean government promised to rebuild forests by planting millions of trees but they would have to get the trees from other countries. Asking for outside help is not their strong point.  


Because they know how bad it is, they don't allow photographs, even for research and any photos we see in publications or on the news were likely obtained illegally.



DEATH RATES IN NEARBY COUNTRIES

In South Korea, the air pollution problem has contributed to deaths of  23.2 of every 100,000 citizens compared to North Korea's 238 per 100,000 citizens.  


China and Japan are two neighboring countries with much higher populations and far more industrial areas. China attributes 161 deaths of every 100,000 citizens and Japan says there are 24 deaths of every 100,000 citizens.  



Why should other countries care about North Korea's air pollution problem? 

Because of the air quality and ground pollution, diseases like COPD, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases are killing North Korean citizens. Coal is cheap, but it is a dirty way to supply energy. 


Until they find new ways of getting their power and decent crops to feed their people, things aren't going to get better in their country.  


The reason why other countries should care about the country's problem is because sooner as opposed to later, North Korea citizens are going to need decades and decades of outside humanitarian, medical, and financial aid to put a dent in solving their problem, including both paid and volunteer help, and imported food, eco-friendly vehicles, paper products, and other items.  



Scientists and ecologists have estimated that since it took 30 years for North Korea to get into this mess,  that it will take double, if not triple that amount of time for them to recover from it.  

This conservative estimate takes into consideration the time to replant their forests, to create ways to provide clean fuel for use in homes and factories, to replace coal, and to plant and harvest crops which for the first few years will have to be destroyed because the ground won't produce safe edible food.



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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Success comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
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Does Music Affects Your Heartbeat?

A new study says that music can alter your blood pressure, heart rate and respiration. 

Music helps blood pressure and respiration
Music is a healer





Participants in the study listened to five random selections of Beethoven, Bach, Puccini, and other classical artists as well as a two-minute segment of silence.  Monitors recorded physiological signals.




Music can improve physical and mental health
Music improves physical health



The researchers found that selections with crescendos, especially those with a series of them (like the ones you hear in Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody), made blood vessels constrict and increased blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. These measures decreased during decrescendos and silent periods.





Music is a healer
Music can lift everyone's spirits






The study's results indicate that music goes beyond a patient's head. "It is not only the emotion that creates the cardiovascular changes," he notes, "but this study suggests that also the opposite might be possible." He believes the boosts in mood - including those pleasurable "chills" -triggered by music might also be a side effect of a physiological reaction.


A paper published earlier this year found that a developing fetus can distinguish changes in sound patterns, which is probably why mothers play music while the baby is still in utero.



Babies in utero can hear music
Pregnant mothers play music hoping 
their babies can hear it



You can read more about this topic here:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/music-therapy-heart-cardiovascular/




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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Talk about your blessings more than you talk about your problems
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V Day, 1945

During World War II, the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth, along with the Queen Mary, were used as troop transports during the Second World War. 


Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary brings home troops from WWII
Bringing troops home from the Second World War in 1945
aboard the Queen Elizabeth


The crowded Queen Elizabeth (pictured above) was bringing troops back to New York harbor from Europe, right after V-Day in 1945. The voyage took roughly five to seven days to go from the British Isles to the East Coast. 

The ship's high speed was able to outrun German U-boats, could carry over 15,000 troops and had over 900 crew members. During wartime, the troopship logged over 500,000 miles.


Source: Pinterest

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Sometimes the things we can't change end up changing us
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Proper Storage For Apples

Don't Store Apples In The Refrigerator
Don't Refrigerate Apples


Apples can get rather fibrous very quickly if they are stored in the refrigerator. Apples can also cause any other refrigerated fruits to ripen more quickly because of the natural gas that they emit.




You will be trapping all of that gas in your refrigerator with your other perishables.  Store apples at room temperature on the counter.



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QUOTE OF THE DAY

When you love someone more than they deserve, they will surely hurt you more than you deserve
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Great Facts About Sylvester Stallone's Rocky



In the 1970s, Sylvester Stallone was relatively unknown and was getting very few acting jobs. He says he was so broke that he tried to sell (or re-home) his dog because he couldn't afford to feed or take care of him. 




Pre-Rocky, Stallone and his dog Butkus
Stallone with his dog, Butkus

 


1 - Desperation lead Stallone to write the movie script entitled Rocky, which he finished in just three days.





Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer
With Burgess Meredith

 
 

Trivia for above picture: Burgess Meredith got the part of Mickey,
 Rocky's trainer, because the other actors who were in consideration 
were insulted that Stallone wanted them to read for the part first.

2 - United Artists, the movie studio, wanted to buy Sylvester Stallone's script but they didn't want Stallone to star as Rocky Balboa.  Instead, they wanted an established actor to star in the movie: Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds or James Caan. 




Original Rocky Script





3 - Even though Stallone had very little acting experience, he refused to sell his script unless he was guaranteed to play the title role of Rocky Balboa.  




Stallone in 1970's
Sylvester Stallone, circa 1970s




4 - Stallone was offered six-figures for just the script, which in the 1970s was a really nice income. But he turned that down too.



Still photo from Rocky I





5 - Stallone held his ground and he eventually sold the script with himself to star as Rocky. And - he also got to keep his dog, Butkus, who guest starred as Rocky's dog.





Stallone poses with his dog Butkus
Stallone and his dog Butkus




6 - The inspiration to write Rocky came to Stallone after witnessing the Chuck Wepner vs. Muhammad Ali fight on March 24, 1975, in which Wepner, a middling heavyweight, nearly went the distance with the great champion, Ali.



Wepner vs Ali fight, March 24, 1975
  Wepner vs Ali, March 24, 1975


7 - Rocky isn't Balboa's real first name; it is Robert Balboa, which was revealed in a draft copy of the second film's script.  The name Rocky was chosen in admiration of real-life boxing legend Rocky Marciano.



Poster of Rocky Marciano in fight pose
Rocky Marciano Poster



8 - Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker, was cast to play Apollo. While sparring during his audition, he accidentally punched Stallone in the chin. Weathers assured Director John G Avildsen that he would do better with "a real actor."  The director informed Weathers that Sylvester Stallone, the man he was sparring with, was the star of the movie. Weathers then replied, "Well, maybe he'll get better." Stallone offered him the role immediately. 



Carl Weathers as Apollo
Carl Weathers, as Apollo 



9 - Most of the outdoor scenes of Rocky jogging through Philadelphia were shot with no permits, no equipment, and no extras. When the fruit guy throws Rocky an orange, that really happened. But the people watching "Rocky" run around were actually watching some weirdo running through Philly chasing a van with a camera guy inside the van.  




Rocky running on Philadelphia waterfront
Running on Philadelphia's waterfront


  




  10 - The famous scene of Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum happened exactly the way it did. Many cities require permits to film outdoor scenes but in the case of the movie Rocky, the scenes were shot with permits, lots of equipment or extra actors.  Garrett Brown came up with a new way to film these kinds of scenes, called Steadicam. Brown was contacted by the movie's director who told the camera operator to chase Stallone up the steps. And that's how the now-famous shot was captured.




Rocky on steps of Philadelphia Art Museum
Rocky Balboa on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum





11 - While making the movie, Sylvester Stallone quit smoking cigarettes because he was getting out of breath. Stallone also ended up flattening his knuckles after punching many meat slabs. Even today, when he makes a fist, his knuckles lay flat.






Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa
  Stallone as Rocky Balboa



12 - The most expensive cost on the set of Rocky was doing the makeup.




The makeup in the Rocky movies won awards
Makeup artists did the movie proud 




13 - For the fight scene between Rocky and Apollo, the plan in place was for several former heavyweight champions to make an appearance at the beginning of the fight. But only Joe Frazier showed up on the day of the shoot. Stallone was the only one who wasn't disappointed. In fact, he was quite happy because of those scheduled to show up, only retired boxer Joe Frazier was from Philadelphia, lending some authenticity to the film.



Joe Frazier with Carl Weathers as Apollo

Joe Frazier and Apollo



14 - Stallone and Weathers sustained some real injuries during the shooting of the final fight: Stallone had bruised his ribs and Weathers damaged his nose, which was the opposite of what their characters had suffered.


  

Rocky and Apollo Creed

Rocky and Apollo



15 - Sylvester Stallone's father, Frank Sr., had a cameo playing the man who rings the opening bell of the championship fight.  Stallone's younger brother, Frank, also has a cameo as the lead singer of the street band.


Frank Stallone Sr and Jr appeared in Rocky movies
Stallone's father Frank Sr. and his brother Frank Jr.
had parts in the movie



Rocky I - the first of seven Rocky movies - was shot in about 28 days.  It was a sleeper hit that earned $225 million in global box office receipts. It was the highest grossing film of 1976 and won three Oscars – Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. 



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