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Pastimes : My House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (6761)	4/12/2003 5:31:29 PM
From: E	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 7689

I'm lucky enough never to have had the Shut Up or Lose Your Job experience, but it's a common one, I know. 3/4 billion taxpayer dollars. Amazing. And what's happening during the extension isn't eliminating the risk, but CYA activities, I take it. On another and completely different subject, this is sort of interesting. Not that I'm about to count taste buds: Tongue test identifies 'super-tasters' A simple tongue test can tell people if they are a "super-taster" or not. Around 35% of women are super-tasters, compared with just 15% of men, US research has shown. The study found some people are born with more taste buds than others, meaning they are better able to distinguish between tastes. While those with too few taste buds may not be able to tell the difference between cheap plonk and fine wines, those with more taste buds are more likely to become professional chefs or wine tasters. Now there is a taste bud test people can do at home, based on the Yale University research. Pink dots To test your taste buds, you need some blue food colouring, a piece of paper with a 7mm-wide hole punched through it, and a magnifying glass. Swab some of the food colouring onto the tip of your tongue. The tongue will take up the dye, but the papillae, tiny structures that house the taste buds, will stay pink. Super-tasters perceive all tastes as more intense than do tasters and non-tasters Professor Linda Bartoshuk, Yale University Put the piece of paper on the front part of the tongue and, using the magnifying glass, count how many pink dots are inside the hole. Fewer than 15 papillae mean you are an insensitive "non-taster", between 15 and 35 indicates an average "taster" and over 35 papillae then you are a "super-taster". The US research, led by Professor Linda Bartoshuk, suggested around a quarter of the population are non-tasters, 50% tasters, and the rest super-tasters. Laboratory tests used a solution of 6-propylthiouracil, a thyroid medication known as PROP. Some people noticed nothing, others found the taste bitter, and others found it extremely unpleasant. But PROP is a prescription-only drug, so the researchers suggest using food colouring for an at-home test. Education Professor Bartoshuk said: "Super-tasters perceive all tastes as more intense than do tasters and non-tasters." Catherine Lowe, managing editor of Wine magazine which published details of the research, told BBC News Online: "People are recognised as being able to taste differently. "Some people are very, very good and others are just average, so we wanted to look at the science behind it." But she said it was still possible for would-be wine tasters to educate their palate. "You can learn. But for some people, it is easier than for others." Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk Published: 2003/03/24 10:53:50 © BBC MMIII news.bbc.co.uk

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (6761)	4/12/2003 6:31:58 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7689

Some trivia from the annals of where-are-they-now: Apr 12, 2:40 PM EDT Cheeta Named World's Oldest Chimpanzee PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) -- Cheeta lives in this desert resort town like a lot of old movie stars, painting, playing the piano and watching his old movies. But as one of Palm Springs' only retired chimpanzees, he stands out. The last actor to have played the lead chimpanzee role in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s and '40s, Cheeta is 71 now - the oldest chimp in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. "He's just part of the family," said Dan Westfall, who saved Cheeta's life when he adopted him from Tony Gentry, an animal trainer who worked in Hollywood. Gentry, Westfall's uncle, originally left instructions in his will to have Cheeta euthanized after his death because he worried that the 142-pound chimp would wind up in a research lab. His nephew talked him out of that by promising he'd always take care of Cheeta. Westfall and Abe Karajerjian care for Cheeta and other animals, including orangutans and monkeys, at a house they have nicknamed Casa de Cheeta. Cheeta spends his time playing with preschool toys, thumbing through magazines including National Geographic and playing the piano. In addition to his old movies, he likes watching Animal Planet and cartoons on television. Cheeta's handlers hope to sell some of his paintings - which they describe as "Ape-Stract" - to raise money for a sanctuary for homeless primates.