Rat causes a 3-hour power outage in Stockholm

by Iva Skoch on

The year of the Rat has been going well so far. Rats have been getting more attention than ever. At least on Gadling. At least by me.

It warmed my heart to see that yet another rat got into the spotlight lately. On Saturday morning, a giant rat had apparently sneaked into a signal box in the Sheraton Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden and caused it to short-circuit. The rat was electrocuted and Stockholm’s central train station, as well as nearby hotels and shops, lost power for three hours.

I am sure Sheraton is thrilled about the rat publicity.

Photo: limonada, Flickr

Doc, I have malaria…why are you looking down there?

by Erik McLaughlin on

Medical News Today ran an interesting article covering the efficacy of rectally given anti-malarial medications. The purpose of using a suppository to deliver the medicine, Artemisinins, is a fairly new concept and can prove useful to prevent a life-threatening delay of intra-venous medications to combat severe forms of malaria.

The study looked at over 1000 patients and compared rectal administrations of several different medical compounds, all artemisinin derivatives. Interestingly, the article also compared these medicines with a standard treatment of quinine.

Ease of administration, portability and lack of special training for use are benefits of rectally administered medications. Delays in treatment of severe forms of malaria can result in death and travelers who are in remote locations and suffering from malaria might benefit from beginning this form of treatment, while seeking definitive medical care.

This might also serve as a reminder that the person trying to treat you for malaria in a remote area actually knows what they are doing when they are “checking down there”.

Announcing the winner of the ‘Green Travel’ April Fool’s Day contest

by Justin Glow on

If you think way back to last Tuesday, you’ll remember that we posted a whole collection of wacky, made up stories for April Fool’s Day. And then the following day we told you that among all of those fake stories was a real one. You tried to guess which article was real, and anyone who got it correct was eligible to win a copy of the new book, Green Travel.

Here were the stories to choose from. I’ve bolded the real one.

  • Canada to adopt new national slogan
  • America’s language schools rank best at faking foreign accents
  • New French bill passed to allow super-models to smoke in public
  • Swarm of rare jellyfish to invade shore of Ibiza
  • In response to national bullying, Denmark introduces Danish fish
  • Airline mistakenly carries passenger on outside of plane

  • Conflict bubbles over Swiss “Champagne”

    by Jeremy Kressmann on

    The French are a particularly jealous bunch when it comes to the sparkling wine better known as Champagne. As Anna pointed out in this earlier post, European trade laws mandate that only sparkling wine from the French region of the same name can truthfully be labeled as “Champagne.” The French government has taken numerous steps to preserve their ownership of this name, going so far as to restrict the number of French vineyards that can operate within the Champagne region and filing numerous lawsuits against other wines that try to use it.

    But lately, French efforts to restrict the Champagne brand name seem to be getting out of hand. As this article reports, the small Swiss town of Champagne, first named in the year 885, is fighting the French government to continue using the city’s name on its local wine. Apparently the city used to sell as many as 110,000 bottles of local wine using the town’s name, a quantity that fell to only 32,000 bottles last year when the Champagne name was removed from the label. That’s quite a difference.

    While the whole naming controversy does seem a bit silly, I can understand the rationale. The French have cultivated a world famous brand and have profited handsomely from its popularity. The same is true of any other famous foodstuff, be it vodka from Russia, steaks from Argentina or oranges from Florida. But just how much of the popularity of a famous food brand is hype and how much is substance? Some will argue that nothing beats the “real thing,” but ultimately I think it’s a question that can only be answered by our stomachs. Some might scoff, but maybe a Swiss Champagne is equally as good as a French one? France, it’s time to grab a glass of bubbly and chill out.

Big in Japan: Acerola berries are the super-cure for the common cold

by Matthew Firestone on

Ever wonder how Japanese people manage to work endless hours for years on end while simultaneously maintaining their good health?

What if I told you that there was a simple and cheap remedy for staying healthy and energetic regardless of how hectic your life may be. What if I told you that this remedy costs less than US$1 a day, and can be started at any time no matter how busy you happen to be.

Here at Big in Japan, we love to report on the latest Japanese health and beauty secrets, which is why we’re proud today to tell you about the acerola berry.

A small bright red berry that is native to the West Indies, acerola is one of the most potent sources of natural vitamin C and bioflavanoids known to scientists. So, if you’ve been searching for a healthy and natural way to stave off illness, perhaps you should give acerola a go.

Intrigued? If so, keep reading and allow me to explain the powers of this magical little berry!
In Tokyo, you can buy a 100 milliliter bottle containing 70% acerola extract (ニチレイアセロラビタミン, Nichirei Aserora Bitamin) in a suspension solution of vitamins, minerals and a pinch of sugar to make the medicine go down. And remarkably, you don’t even have to go to a health food store to buy the product. Instead, just simple walk out of your apartment, head into the first convenience store you see, and protect your health for little more than a pocket full of change.

As I’ve commented so many times before on this blog, I know that it’s easy to be skeptical about health and beauty products, especially since the next big thing is always being touted on TV sets across North America. But, there exists a strong body of evidence to suggest that acerola really is the super-cure for the common cold.

Because the body does not store vitamin C and bioflavanoids, they must be replenished on a daily basis. And, since these two compounds work together to promote circulation, stimulate bile production and boost the immune system, they can serve as your body’s first line of defense against illness. As if this wasn’t a strong enough endorsement for acerola, you might also be interested in knowing that the berry is also very useful in balancing out the pH levels in your intestines, which ultimately leads to better digestion.

If you live in North America, and you’re interested in trying acerola products, your best chance is to check out a health food store near you. Or, you can simply find the nearest Caribbean supermarket, and just buy a pound or so of berries to add to your morning smoothie. Anyway, if you’ve ever taken acerola before, or you happen to know anything about its health effects, please chime in an let all of us know!

(By the way, in case you were wondering, the Japanese girl at the top of the blog is none other than Yuri Ebihara (Ebi-chan), who is famous for saying, “If someone doesn’t find me cute, I want to know why because then I’ll work on it to get better at being cute.” Classic.)

** Acerola berry photo sourced from the Wikipedia Commons Project **