FEAST OR FAMINE

The Advertiser published an article on September 30, 2015, with the headline ‘Could you stomach bugs? Our future may depend on it.’ What does ‘stomach bugs’ mean? Usually when people hear or read about ‘stomach bugs’ they refer to bugs in the stomach – germs and other nasty bugs that make people sick. The medical definition of a ‘stomach bug’ is gastroenteritis or infectious diarrhea – yes, the runs! It’s not pleasant. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the small intestine that causes cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. It’s referred to as ‘stomach bugs’ because the illness is caused by bacteria, bacterial toxins and parasites. Parasites are visible organisms, and include worms, tapeworms, liver flukes, and fleas. Real bugs. But wait, this article is not about stomach bugs of the gastroenteritis kind. No, it’s about beetle bread and chocolate coated crickets and … the food chain: bugs – insects – that people can eat. The article mentions the global foo...

Remember the song ‘As Time Goes By’ by Herman Hupfeld? It was a 1931 song originally sung by Frances Williams. It became famous when the character Dooley Wilson sang it in the 1942 movie, Casablanca , with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The first part of the lyrics of ‘As Time Goes By’ are: This day and age we’re living in Gives cause for apprehension With speed and new invention And things like fourth dimension. Yet we get a trifle weary With Mr. Einstein’s theory. So we must get down to earth at times Relax, relieve the tension And no matter what the progress Or what may yet be proved The simple facts of life are such They cannot be removed. You must remember this A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh. The fundamental things apply As time goes by. I   was reminded of this song by two things: (1) my recent visit to Morocco (even though the movie Casablanca was not filmed in Casablanca, but wholly in the Warner Bros. s...

Ungulates are large hoofed mammals. Terrestrial (land) ungulates include the horse, donkey, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, cow, pig, giraffe, llama, alpaca, tapir, camel, goat, deer,  yak, etc. Ungulate means ‘being hoofed.’ The foot of an ungulate has a hard or rubbery sole, and a hard nail, which contains keratin. Hooves grow continuously even when broken or damaged – the same as human toe nails, finger nails and hair, which are also made of keratin. Hooves can be odd-toed or even-toed – i.e. one, two, three, or four toes. The ungulates at Tbilisi Zoo were on higher ground during the floods of June 13, 2015, which enabled them to survive. Many were also able to climb to safety – such as the goats. While the zoo is undergoing restoration, all animals have been moved to higher ground (not the lower ground by the river). Hence the ungulates are mostly housed all together in several enclosures. In the future an open range zoo, planned to be built...