Eggplant is the vegetable which is richest in nicotine (and which is still edible).
9 kilograms of eggplants has a the same worth of nicotine amount as in a regular cigarette.
So… an Eggplant or a cigarette? 😉
Month: March 2017
Categories
Whale vomit is expensive
Did you know Whales puke? Maybe not, It might not come as a big surprise. What might surprise you is what can one do with this lump of vomit … well, glad you asked! Perfume!
Perfume usually contains a mixture of several aromatic oils, water and alcohol.
Aromatic oils are oils that are made out of all kind of materials, mainly from plants, but also from animals.
This is where the vomit of whales part comes into place (a.k.a “black amber”). After appropriate treatment the rare substance departing from the gastrointestinal tract of the sperm whale starts to emit a pleasant aroma which can be used in the making of luxury perfumes.
When the sperm whale ejects the vomit lump and then it floats on the sea surface due to its fatty content.
To isolate the pleasant fragrances in the black amber it is crushed, and than heated in alcohol and then left to cool down.
Most perfumes are produced out of plants (such as almonds, anise and parsley). However, essential oils can also be extracted out of glands of musk deer or Rock-hyraxes, as well as honeycombs and other materials derived from animals. Today, due to over hunting of whales and other animals used for the production of luxury perfumes, many became threatened with extinction, and the use of such materials are now mostly banned. Which is a great thing because with the advancement of our technologies, if there was a free for all on such species they would not survive our OutdoorEmpire hunting bows and spears.
Many fragrances are nowadays artificially synthesized in the laboratory, so we can have reach the scented oils such as black amber or musk without harming animals.
The Band Alt-J recorded very popular songs like Breezeblocks in 2012 (with about 120 million views on the band’s official channel on YouTube). That same year, the band released another song far less known – but fascinating.
The song was named Taro, The song has a fascinating background story:
The song was written about the life and death of the two lovers – Robert Capa and Gerda Taro.
Taro was born in 1910 into a Jewish family in Germany. In 1933 she was arrested due to political activities against the Nazi regime. After Taro was released, she fled to Paris, where she met Robert Capa. Capa, Hungarian born Jew (who was born named Andrew Friedman), fled to Germany and then to Paris in 1933 as well, where he continued his career as a photographer of war. Over time, the young couple fell in love, and with this love, Taro Love has emerged to Capa’s profession of war photography. Within a few years she mastered the profession and became one of the first women in the field of war photography, and sadly at the age of 27 she was the first woman that was killed while fulfilling her job (in the Barnett 1937 as part of the Spanish Civil War).
Kappa paid this heavy psychological cost – not only lost the the love of his life, he also blamed himself for her death – since he was not there with her. Despite the loss and pain, Capa went on to document the Spanish Civil War till the end of the war.
Capa photographed many more wars, including World War II.
Capa was killed in the line of duty as a photographer War Indochina War in 1954, at age 40, when he ran over a mine.
Capa managed to stay true to his principals – in his eyes, it was crucial to document the war from the perspective of an average soldier and accordingly, he would say:
“If your photographs are not good enough, you’re not close enough”.
The band Alt-J decided to release a song dedicated to this couple who loved one another and was also devoted to their work, Ultimately they paid this remarkable devotion with their life.
The song (along with Capa’s photographs):
Categories
pandas are black and white
Hey Panda bear! Why black and white?
So the first reason just like (almost) any other every animal in nature – camouflage.
White spots on the face, neck, abdomen and back of the Panda help the animal hide under/near/around the snow. Dark-colored hands & feet allow blending in better with the shadow it casts.
Another reason is the panda’s poor nutrition. Since the main food source of the panda is bamboo which is fairly low in nutrients and calories, the mammal has to worry about eating throughout the year, therefore should be able to hide all four seasons.
But it turns out that the panda fur beautiful markings are intended not only for disguise.
The bear’s black ears and eyes marks are intended to signal the cruelty and aggression against potential predators and competitors pandas. Another cool fact – in September 2016 the IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature – declared that the giant panda is out of danger of extinction and is now “JUST” Vulnerable – which is actually good news since it means it made a long way from “critically endangered”.
Tnuva (Israel’s largest food manufacturer) released in 1997 the first ever T.V commercial shot in outer space.
The T.V commercial (for milk) was filmed aboard the Russian space station Mir: