‘I see fat people’
Posted on March 11, 2010
Filed Under It Must Be Science!, That Wacky Australia | Leave a Comment |
Australian scientists claim they’ve stumbled upon a sixth sense – but not the kind where you become Haley Joel Osment and end up having a movie career that goes nowhere. No, researchers down under have found a new flavor sense: fat.
It’s more or less a well known fact that fat is an excellent vehicle for food flavors and has a highly appealing mouth-feel. A new study, however, suggests that along with sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (essentially, the ability to detect protein), we can also actually taste fat itself.
Dr. Russell Keast, an exercise and nutrition sciences professor at Deakin University in Melbourne, conducted a study. In the Deakin study, Dr. Keast and his team gave a group of 33 people fatty acids found in common foods, mixed in with nonfat milk to disguise the telltale fat texture. All 33 could detect the fatty acids to at least a small degree.
Here’s where it gets exciting: While all participants could detect some fat, some were better at it than others. With this in mind, the researchers then explored whether sharper fat-tasting abilities corresponded to fat consumption. They did: The higher a person’s fat-tasting sensitivity, the fewer fatty foods that person ate, and the lower that person’s body mass index was.
”I may be very sensitive to sweet tastes, while somebody else may be insensitive. This is common throughout the tastes, and it’s exactly what we’re finding with fat,” Dr. Keast told the Sydney Morning Herald. “People who are very sensitive to fat can taste very low concentrations of it. It appears [those] people have a mechanism that is telling them to stop eating it.”
Findings could lead to an entirely new approach to obesity. Dr. Keast’s team is on the case. Meanwhile, pass the butter and weapons grade lard.
Written by Chris "Chugs" TaylorAnd lo, the fish fell like rain
Posted on March 3, 2010
Filed Under That Wacky Australia, War on Animals | Leave a Comment |
We don’t want to freak you guys out or anything, but the world might just be ending. The only other possibility is that our animal foes have dangerous new technology.
More than 300 of miles away from any water, a desert town in Australia was attacked by hundreds of fish falling from the sky. It rained fish for no apparently reason. The good news is that no one was serious injured.
Now, “scientists” will try to tell you that this happened because a tornado formed over water, sucked up the fish, and deposited them in the town, but that’s a long, long trip for a tornado. This leaves us with the very real possibility that the animals are somehow able to launch themselves into the air en masse so that they can take out our small towns.
Written by Bryan McBournieWhere do we sign up?
Posted on February 23, 2010
Filed Under That Wacky Australia, War on Animals | Leave a Comment |
The cane toad invaded Australia long ago. Since then, the country has been at war with the large amphibian not because it is an animal, but because it destroys crops. These toxic toads also kill off wildlife that try to eat them.
The newest weapon in the battle appears to be a cat food can. Researchers found that leaving an open can of cat food near a pond where baby cane toads dwell attracts a meat-eating type of ant. The ants also happen to be immune to the toads’ toxins, and they can successfully eat the baby toads.
If we can use the animals against each other, we might just win this thing.
Written by Bryan McBournieKey quote: “In one spot we tested, 98 percent of the baby toads were attacked within the first two minutes,” researcher Rick Shine told Reuters. “It was a bit like a massacre.”
Aussie AG surprisingly not named Nancy
Posted on February 17, 2010
Filed Under That Wacky Australia | Leave a Comment |
He’s a brave man. Such a brave man, despite being a complete and total nancy-boy.
The South Australian Attorney General that happens to be the only politician standing between Australia and a mature rating for video games in the country, says that he’s more at risk from gamers than motorcycle gangs. No, really.
“I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me and are running a candidate against me,” Michael Atkinson said on ABC TV’s Good Game.
Atkinson says that a gamer slipped a “threatening note” under his door early one morning.
“The outlaw motorcycle gangs haven’t been hanging around my doorstop at 2 a.m.,” he said. “A gamer has.”
DUM DUM DUMMMMMMMMM!!!!! Did you not read that? A threatening note. From a gamer no less, even though there’s been no evidence to support that at all. We can totally understand where he’s coming from. A strong combination of Cheetos powder and sexual slurs proclaimed by boys that have yet to hit puberty have been known to account for a numerous amount of deaths every year.
Maybe. Possibly. Eh, who knows?
Written by Chris "Chugs" TaylorAustralians embrace America’s litigious ways
Posted on February 5, 2010
Filed Under That Wacky Australia | Leave a Comment |
We know all of you have been wondering about this, and following the case every step of the way, but at long last, the verdict is in. It’s not in favor of Men At Work.
What? You have no idea what we’re talking about? Well, the owner of the rights to the Australian children’s song “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” (the story of a fisherman’s existential crisis and huge shark catch) sued Men At Work, yes, that Men At Work, for plagiarizing the flute solo in “Land Down Under,” better known as Men At Work’s only memorable song.
This is why songs don’t have flute solos anymore.
Written by Bryan McBournieDown under round up
Posted on January 29, 2010
Filed Under That Wacky Australia, That Wacky New Zealand | Leave a Comment |
Remember the Sex Party of Australia? Yeah, we know, it’s been a very long time, but they’re back, and they’re back with a vengeance. They’ve now begun reporting that the Australian Classification Board has begun rounding up any material depicting women with less than substantially sized breasts in adult publications and film-for an immediate banning. Now, we’re not going to just automatically Godwin the ACB, but, well … we do enjoy snickering when the word “titzi” is spoken.
The reason for this discrimination of the A and A- crowd? The ACB feels that this is a way to prevent pedophilia, in a nutshell. To boil it down, they want to make sure people aren’t turned on and getting all sex-crazed over small breasts, and thus are making sure that all the young-looking women must have really large breasts.
Anyone but me see the basic flaw here?
But wait-there’s more! A burglar broke into the house of the Sciascia family and ran off with an iPod and Xbox. One problem: the legs of Papa Sciascia weren’t exactly up to snuff. The solution? 11 year old Rena grabbed dad’s crutch and gave chase. For 500 meters. The police later tracked down the alleged burglar. Rena’s iPod was lost, but her Xbox was found in a bush near the family’s home. The burglar was never named, for obvious reasons of not wanting to die of embarrassment.
Written by Chris "Chugs" TaylorHere’s a New Year’s resolution for you
Posted on January 4, 2010
Filed Under That Wacky Australia, War on Animals | Leave a Comment |
Crocodiles are deadly. They are animals, and of course, our enemies. We trap them in Australia because their government is more forward-thinking than our own. We bait the crocs through traditional means, but some young and swimsuit-clad youths figured out a way to bait and taunt the enemy.
Dancing on their cages. It’s fun for both men and women. By dancing on the croc cages, these young Aussies make themselves the bait–highly effective–and they get to make fun of their once-feared enemy. This carries on the proud Australian tradition of croc mocking, pioneered by Crocodile Dundee, as well as Steve Irwin, whose martyrdom set off this whole crazy war in the first place.
[via Deadspin]
Written by Bryan McBourniePatriotism never tasted so good
Posted on December 8, 2009
Filed Under That Wacky Australia, War on Animals | Leave a Comment |
If there’s one thing Australia takes seriously, it’s alcohol consumption food. There, things like Vegemite, and as we understand it, babies, are considered delicacies.
But Australia has limits, and brother, you can’t just go and make emu and kangaroo flavored chips (they don’t mean “fries” do they?) and sell them all willy-nilly. No sir.
Many are critical of the new chips because the two animals appear on the coat of arms of Australia and are iconic animals that shouldn’t be treated like that. Think of it as selling bald eagle flavored chips in America. Others complain that it sends the message that it’s OK to kill emus and kangaroos.
Well, isn’t it? Aside from having ridiculous names, they are animals, and that’s two reasons they should be hunted down. It’s either them or us.
Written by Bryan McBournieCrazy grannies want to tag your building
Posted on December 7, 2009
Filed Under That Wacky Australia | Leave a Comment |
In most countries, graffiti means spray paint and some letters that are barely legible to the average person. But in Australia, it can also mean knitting up some sweet sweaters to cover random objects.
It’s a trend that’s gaining popularity around the world. Guerrilla knitters are putting their colorful yet itchy messages all over walls, posts, vehicles and more. Unfortunately, it’s easy to catch these pranksters, because it takes hours to knit these things and you have to be physically there there whole time, humming and hoping you don’t stick yourself.
Written by Bryan McBournieVegemighty big problem
Posted on November 3, 2009
Filed Under That Wacky Australia | Leave a Comment |
Vegemite is a hugely popular Australian food … spread … type thing. It’s like Nutella, only they don’t sell it here in the U.S. Well, Kraft Foods has gone and messed with a perfectly good thing.
They took Vegemite, added cream cheese to it, and held a naming contest for the new product. What did they come up with? Vegemite iSnack 2.0.
Cue sad muted trumpet.
Australians wouldn’t stand for it. So now they are trying another round of votes for a more acceptable name for the new product. This just shows you that Australia isn’t all fun and games, they have real issues to address.
Written by Bryan McBournie keep looking »