Muslims have been screwed

(Photo: AP )

In Indonesia, a huge scandal continues to surround PT Ajinomoto, a subsidiary of the leading Japanese food seasoning manufacturer Ajinomoto Co Inc. As it turned out, the company produced seasonings with a high content of enzymes grown in pork fat. In doing so, she flagrantly violated Islamic laws prohibiting Muslims from eating pork. At the same time, the company's products were equipped with labels with the Arabic inscription "halal" - "allowed". Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, with 90 percent of its 203 million people practicing Islam and observing a ban on eating pork. The company's president, Mitsuo Harakawa, and his assistant, Yasushi Oda, were charged with violating consumer protection laws, which could result in five years in prison. Six more representatives of the company were detained. Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid had to personally intervene in the conflict, declaring that PT Ajinomoto Indonesia products are completely safe for Muslims. However, this did not cool the passion. The company's head office in Jakarta is sealed off and its factories are surrounded by police to protect them from angry Muslims.


Liz started talking


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Elizabeth Taylor doesn't want to get married anymore. Eight marriages were enough to understand all the delights and difficulties of family life. She admitted this to famous TV presenter Larry King during a recent live interview with CNN. There she also said that among the many men around her, she loved two most - Richard Burton, with whom Taylor dated and divorced twice, and Michael Todd, who died in a plane crash 13 months after marrying her. She also speaks very warmly of Republican Senator John Warner, with whom her marriage was brief but intense. In contrast, singer Eddie Fisher, whom Taylor stole from his then-wife Debbie Reynolds in 1958, evokes the most unpleasant feelings in her. “I don’t even want to mention his name,” is Liz’s categorical verdict. At the same time, the actress, who will soon turn 69 years old, would not mind living with some man, but without marriage. True, the set of requirements that she places on a possible companion does not leave a chance for everyone. He must be attractive in appearance, intelligent, compassionate, kind, and also have a good sense of humor.

Clean-to-holes

The “Hollywood Smile” has completely driven Americans crazy. Everyone is passionate about the fashion for teeth cleaning and whitening (this hobby has not yet reached Europe). Today, teeth whitening is the most popular cosmetic procedure in the United States (it can cost up to $500). It produces a huge number of toothpastes, home teeth whitening kits and “professional” kits for the dental office. Even special “tooth-cleaning” resorts are opening - there are already 17 of them. Dr. Larry Rosenthal, a specialist in cosmetic dentistry from New York, cites the favorable economic situation in the country and the desire of the entire nation for health and prolongation of youth as the main reasons for this hobby.


Trout with toxic seasoning

Despite the undoubted value of fish as a healthy food with high protein and low fat content, scientists are calling for urgent research into industrially farmed salmon. These fish have been found to contain hazardous chemicals, including pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), some of the most persistent toxins known to man.

How toxins fit into the food chain

Industrial waste PCBs and dioxins accumulate in oceans

Toxin concentration
Phytoplankton Toxin molecules stick to tiny plants - 250 units.
Zooplankton eats plants - 500 units.
Mysids (crustaceans) eat zooplankton - 45,000 units.
Smelt (small fish) eats mysids - 835,000 units.

The concentration of poison in seawater is taken as one

Wild salmon : eats smelt. The concentration of toxins is 2,800,000 units.
Trout (pond-farmed salmon) : are fed protein pellets from fish waste, in which the concentration increases to noticeable levels.

As a result, the concentration of toxins in trout increases to 28 million units.

People : Toxins accumulate in fatty tissue and breast milk—nursing mothers and breastfeeding children are at greatest risk.

Recommended consumption :
One serving of pond trout per week The World Health Organization and the European Union have reduced the acceptable intake standard by 90%.

Toxic effects :
Nervous system: learning difficulties in children
Immune system: suppressed disease resistance
Reproductive system: PCBs can mimic the female sex hormone estrogen, causing decreased sperm count, genital deformities and infertility

Bond is Bond

Actor Roger Moore recently had a rare opportunity to actually experience the troubles that often befell his hero, superspy James Bond. Moore was invited to appear on the game show Bingolotto as a guest because his Volvo P1800 from the classic TV series The Saint was announced as the top prize. On the way to television, Moore's car (by the way, also a Volvo, but an S80) was involved in an accident, but neither he nor his companion, Swede Christina Tolstrup, were injured - they were saved by airbags. Unlike his hero, after the collision, Moore did not smile a white-toothed smile, but complained of pain in his ribs. However, deciding not to be inferior in courage to Mr. Bond, he refused the services of a doctor and arrived at the studio on time.


The potatoes were simple, but they became expensive


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The most common potato and the dish loved by millions, fish and chips (fried fish with potato chips), may soon turn out to be an expensive pleasure for the British. And the reason for this is the rains that continue to fall since autumn, although half of winter is already behind us. This amount of rain has not fallen here since 1766. As a result, most of the potato harvest remained unharvested. Farmers are waiting for the onset of spring, hoping to finally try to extract potatoes from the soggy soil in March. However, no one knows whether it will retain its consumer qualities. The owners of numerous fish and chips eateries also find themselves in a difficult situation. It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a low price for a popular dish, and not only due to the poor potato harvest, but also due to a sharp reduction in the catch of cod in the northern seas, which is traditionally used in Britain in the preparation of fish and chips. And convincing the British to give up cod and switch to other fish is not so easy. The owners of the eateries show miracles of ingenuity. One of these establishments in Edinburgh even tried to replace cod with crocodile meat. The experiment, however, was not successful.

Penguins among swimmers


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On the sunny beaches of Rio de Janeiro you can now find penguins crazy from the heat. In principle, this bird is not uncommon on the sea coast of Brazil, but mainly in June - August, when penguins, whose homeland is the Valdez Peninsula in Argentine Patagonia, swim here thousands of kilometers for the winter (in September - October they return home to nest). Now, probably due to some climate change, from year to year more and more penguins remain in Brazil for the summer. Local biologists explain this phenomenon by the fact that the southern waters of the country remain cool longer than usual in the summer season. Last year, about 300 individuals spent the summer in a special aquarium at the Rio Zoo, and this season three more zoos in the neighboring state of Sao Paulo have already been mobilized for the same purposes. The situation is greatly complicated by compassionate beach visitors. They pick up the penguins and, with the best of intentions, put them in the refrigerator. Birds usually die from such care.

According to Itogi, REUTER, Newsweek, GRAPHIC NEWS, AP