Prostitution in Monkeyland?

by Abha Malpani on

If anyone says that they don’t stop in their tracks when they see animals mating (out of sheer curiosity, of course), they are probably lying.

When I was in India on a school trek, I remember seeing a chameleon getting it on with another and it changed colors in the process! It’s not something you see often, and I personally think it’s fascinating.

But, who would have thought that paying for sex extends to the animal kingdom?

According to the Discovery Channel, evidence has been found that male monkeys “pay” for sex by untangling and cleaning dirt and parasites from the fur of the females. The higher the ratio of male to female monkeys, the more grooming the male monkeys need to do to get their sex-life going. This process can last from a few seconds up to half-an-hour and turns the monkeys on. Scientists are guessing that this is how foreplay in humans developed. Also, it seems that materialism is part of primate social life as well: the higher status monkeys don’t have to work as hard as lower status monkeys have to for sex.

The research was conducted in Indonesia from 2003-2005 where the 243 grooming sessions of long-tailed macaques were analyzed.

Although we evolved from these animals, you hardly imagine that the prostitution and materialism of humans also have roots in our animal ancestors.

Indonesia’s tourism slogan no grammatical

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Indonesia’s new campaign to attract tourism has generated a slogan with a grammatical mistake, Indonesian officials acknowledged recently. “‘Visit Indonesia 2008. Celebrating 100 Years of Nation’s Awakening’ has been printed on billboards, government Web sites and emblazoned on the sides of aircraft belonging to the national carrier, Garuda” according to an AP story. Officials from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that the word “Nation’s” would be replaced with “National” in the new slogan.

The campaign, which cost the government roughly US$96,000, has drawn criticism for other reasons as well. Critics say that tourists are unlikely to be lured by an ad campaign touting an anniversary that even many Indonesians don’t know about– the 1908 formation of Boedi Oetomo, or “Noble Endeavor,” Indonesia’s first nationalist group.

I thought that was common knowledge– apparently not.

More bad tourism campaigns here and here.

Travelhappy’s guide to Bangkok

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Over at Travelhappy, Bangkok resident Chris Mitchell has put together a vast assortment of links to help the first time visitor to his adopted city. They’re separated into categories– money, shopping, guidebooks, hotels, day trips– to make the list extra useful-like.

Be sure to check out his Seven Reasons to Go Traveling Solo if you’re worried about looking like a loser with no friends (we’ve all been there), and his article Cheap Long Term Accomodation in Bangkok if you’re interested in staying a month or more. And when you can’t handle any more time in the serene oasis that is Bangkok, he’s got some great visa and flight information under the “Leaving Bangkok” section. Go on, give it a look.

For Gadling’s coverage of all things Thai, perform a click here.

India’s secret exporting of human skeletons

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Ever wondered where medical schools acquire the skeletons they use for study? I hadn’t really either, until I came across this somewhat disturbing article in Wired, “Inside India’s Underground Trade in Human Remains.” I suppose I would have guessed that the skeletons came from willing American donors, but that is often not the case. Apparently, the world’s largest supplier of skeletons used for medical study is India– insert “outsourcing” joke here– and the manner in which the skeletons are acquired is oftentimes morally questionable.

The article explains the basic problem here: “Skeletons aren’t easy to get. In the US, for instance, most corpses receive a prompt burial, and bodies donated to science usually end up on the dissection table, their bones sawed to pieces and destined for cremation. So most skeletons used for medical study come from overseas. Often they arrive without the informed consent of their former owners and in violation of the laws of their country of origin.”

Though it banned the export of human remains 22 years ago, India continues to maintain a robust, if under the table, international trade in human skeletons. And just how are these skeletons obtained? The answer is straightforward, but unsavory: “Rob graves, separate soft flesh from unyielding calcium, and deliver the bones to distributors – who assemble them and ship them to dealers around the globe.”

Read the fascinating article for the whole story, and also for a graphic explaining how much your mint-condition femur or pelvis will fetch on the open market. (Note: Selling your bones is not an effective long-term solution for your money woes.)

Big in Japan: Turmeric keeps Japanese women fit and beautiful

by Matthew Firestone on

Ever wonder why it is that Japanese women are so fit and beautiful? Ever wonder how Japanese women manage to work endless hours without visible signs of aging?

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$3 a day, and can be started at any time no matter how busy you happen to be.

Although the secret is slowly spreading to the Western World, for years Japanese women have been taking turmeric extract to stay fit and beautiful.

Yes. You read that correctly.

A good number of Japanese women take daily doses of turmeric, that rare and exotic Indian yellow spice that is most often used to color curries.

Seriously. I am not making this up.

Now, I guess at this point in the post you are probably thinking one of the following:

a) Why turmeric?
b) Does it work?
c) What does it taste like?
d) Where can I buy some?
e) Some or all of the above.

Well, keep reading and allow me to explain the powers of this magical Indian spice!

In Tokyo, you can buy a 100 milliliter bottle containing 30mg of dissolved turmeric. The suspension solution also contains several vitamins and 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 our of your apartment, head into the first convenience store you see, and give into your vanity for the price of a couple of dollars.

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 late night infomercials across North America.

But, there exists a decent sized body of scientific evidence to suggest that turmeric might actually have positive health effects.

For instance:

– In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric has numerous medicinal properties, and is readily used as an antiseptic.

– In several Asian countries including Japan, turmeric is taken to alleviate stomach problems and other related ailments.

– According to a 2005 article in the Wall Street Journal, turmeric is being investigated for possible benefits in Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, liver disorders and depression.

If you live in North America, and you’re interested in trying turmeric extract, your best chance is to check out a health food store near you.

Or, you can simply find the nearest Indian supermarket and just buy a pound or so of the stuff and add it to your morning OJ.

Anyway, if you’ve ever taken turmeric before, or know anything about its health effects, please chime in and let all of us know!

** Turmeric photo sourced from the Wikipedia Commons Project. And yes, the girl at the top of this post is in fact Maria Ozawa. **