Be warned, a bite out of one of these sesame seed buns will send you on an express trip to meet the grim reaper.  What you’re looking at is some sort of  toxic yellow toadstool.  Anyone know what species this is?

Update: This toadstool is the Amanita muscaria var. guessowii.

I found this picture searching for some chicken recipes.  This chicken sandwich is as fresh as it gets.

Here’s a new way to play with your food.  For you sudoku fans!

conceptispuzzles via neatorama

Here’s another reason to eat your broccoli: UCLA researchers report that a naturally occurring compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may help protect against respiratory inflammation that causes conditions like asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Published in the March edition of the journal Clinical Immunology, the research shows that sulforaphane, a chemical in broccoli, triggers an increase of antioxidant enzymes in the human airway that offers protection against the onslaught of free radicals that we breathe in every day in polluted air, pollen, diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke. A supercharged form of oxygen, free radicals can cause oxidative tissue damage, which leads to inflammation and respiratory conditions like asthma.

“This is one of the first studies showing that broccoli sprouts — a readily available food source — offered potent biologic effects in stimulating an antioxidant response in humans,” said Dr. Marc Riedl, the study’s principal investigator and an assistant professor of clinical immunology and allergy at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“We found a two- to three-fold increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway cells of study participants who had eaten a preparation of broccoli sprouts,” Riedl said. “This strategy may offer protection against inflammatory processes and could lead to potential treatments for a variety of respiratory conditions.”

The UCLA team worked with 65 volunteers who were given varying oral doses of either broccoli or alfalfa sprout preparations for three days. Broccoli sprouts are the richest natural source of sulforaphane; the alfalfa sprouts, which do not contain the compound, served as a placebo.

Rinses of nasal passages were collected at the beginning and end of the study to assess the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in cells of the upper airways. Researchers found significant increases of antioxidant enzymes at broccoli sprout doses of 100 grams and higher, compared with the placebo group.

The maximum broccoli sprout dosage of 200 grams generated a 101-percent increase of an antioxidant enzyme called GSTP1 and a 199-percent increase of another key enzyme called NQO1.

“A major advantage of sulforaphane is that it appears to increase a broad array of antioxidant enzymes, which may help the compound’s effectiveness in blocking the harmful effects of air pollution,” Riedl said.

According to the authors, no serious side effects occurred in study participants receiving broccoli sprouts, demonstrating that this may be an effective, safe antioxidant strategy to help reduce the inflammatory impact of free radicals.

Riedl notes that more research needs to be done to examine the benefits of sulforaphane for specific respiratory conditions. It is too early to recommend a particular dosage.

Riedl recommends including broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables as part of a healthy diet.

By:  Dr. Marc Riedl

Story from REDORBIT NEWS:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=1648177

Published: 2009/03/03 08:59:47 CST

We all know that the characters on Sesame Street have a dark side and what we see on television is just an act.  Watch Cookie Monster Rap to Jay-Z’s ‘99 Problems.’ Click on the picture above to head on over to YouTube.

A customer who received a wrong takeout calzone order called the manager of the store for a refund.  The manager said the grills were closed for the night and invited the customer and his roommate back to the store after hours so he could return the money.  The only thing is, the customer received a refund in the form of a pistol whip and ended up with a bloody head and a trip to the emergency room.

When authorities arrived, the manager and his girlfriend made up a story of how he was attacked by the customer.  Too bad the act was all caught on camera.  What ever happened to ‘the customer is always right?’

Read

Forget the about crystal chandeliers, this gummi bear version is where it’s at.  Created by artist, YaYa Chou, the chandelier is made up of gummi bears, beads, monofilament, plastic, metal and light bulbs.  A chandelier has never been so delicious.

Check out his site for other gummi bear based creations, like a gummi bear rug and animals constructed out of gummi bears.

YaYa Chou via Dvice

In order to be classified as half and half, the milk product has to contain 10.5% -12.5% butterfat.  When I read the ingredients on the fat free version’s carton, almost 10 items were listed, with one being high fructose corn syrup.  With all those artificial ingredients, fat free half and half doesn’t seem to be a very natural product.  The regular half and half carton only had 2 ingredients listed.

~ Kin