Cocaine in Red Bull

Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in coordination with Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) is conducting a testing of several brands of energy drinks after reports that there were traces of cocaine found in the popular energy drink "Red Bull" in Hongkong.

Officials at the Centre for Food Safety in Hongkong said that they found a tiny amounts of illegal drug "cocaine" in the samples of Red Bull Cola, Red Bull Sugar-Free and Red Bull Energy Drink, thus eventually issued a statement to take off these products from the supermarkets as it cases danger to the public.

Meanwhile, BFAD has not yet issued a stock pull out order on these products while the test is ongoing.

World's Biggest Pearl

Pearl of Lao Tzu is the world's largest pearl. This was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) in Palawan Island way back 1934.

Known also as the "Pearl of Allah", the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.

Beer Contains Female Hormones

Warning!!! To the men who drinks beer to much.

Last month, National University of Lesotho scientists released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer.

Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption. The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women.

To test the theory, 100 men drank 8 pints of beer each within a 1 hour period. It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects:
1) Argued over nothing.
2) Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.
3) Gained weight.
4) Talked excessively without making sense.
5) Became overly emotional.
6) Couldn't drive.
7) Failed to think rationally.
8) Had to sit down while urinating.

No further testing was considered necessary.

Singapore Flyer - Not a Ferris Wheel

The "Singapore Flyer" which is currently considered as the world's highest observation wheel. It stands 165 meters high from the ground with a diameter of 150 meters. So, most likely you are in a 42-storey building. Unlike a regular Ferris wheel, it comes with 28 capsules - air conditioned - and said to contained as much as 28 persons. It cost S$29.50 for a 30 minutes ride.





The ride will bring you magnificent view most of Singapore and some parts of its neighboring countries: Malaysia and Indonesia.





You should not miss it in your list when you're in Singapore. Looking forward to ride this November 2008.

Largest Photo Album

Japanese photographer Hitomi Toyama's album titled " Women of Vietnam" got a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.The album measures 4m x 3m, weighs 1000 kilograms and has more than 53 photos taken personally by Toyama.



For you to appreciate the artistic view of her pictures, you need to stand 10 meters away. And it requires two people to flip a page.

Meet the World's Tallest and Shortest Man

The world’s tallest man, Bao Xishun, who stands 2.36 meters (7.9 feet), shakes hands with He Pingping, who only measures 73 centimeters (2.4 feet), in Baotou, China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 13, 2007.

Nineteen-year-old He is applying for the Guinness World Record as the world’s shortest man.

Friday the 13th: Lucky or Unlucky

Friday the 13th is said to be an unlucky day. The modern reason for this is said to come from Friday October the 13th, 1307. On this date, the Pope of the church in Rome in conjunction with the King of France, carried out a secret death warrant Against "the Knights Templar". The Templars were terminated as heretics, never again to hold the power that they had held for so long. There Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, was arrested and before he was killed, was tortured and crucified.

There are however many other stories behind it, some true and some urban legends. Superstitions about Friday being lucky or unlucky day have existed since ancient times. The number 13 has been considered unlucky for a long time. Early Romans thought 13 was a sign of death and destruction.

The fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia.

Coupling the number 13 and a Friday is sometimes considered very bad luck. Lucky for us there are a maximum of three Friday the 13th in one year.

Fascinating Facts about Friday the 13th:

• In French Lick Springs, Indiana, a law was once passed requiring all black cats to wear bells.
• Greek philosophers called 13 an 'imperfect' number.
• Friday was the common day for people to be hanged in the past.
• Hangmen were once paid thirteen pence halfpenny.
• Some Texans say never to cut any kind of garment on a Friday because it will not be completed.
• Many hotels have no room number 13
• Many buildings do not have a 13th floor.
• Many airplanes do not have a 13th row.
• Many ships will not start a voyage on the 13th, particularly, Friday the 13th

Black Mamba - World's Deadliest Snake

I have watched the National Geographic Channel last night and they have featured "snakes". They visited various country and captured some: king cobra, burmese phyton, black mamba to mentioned a few. They tried finding out the characteristics of each and from then rated to conclude the most deadliest snake to date - African Black Mamba.

Black Mamba's Profile:




Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when threatened, highly aggressive. They have been blamed for numerous human deaths, and African myths exaggerate their capabilities to legendary proportions. For these reasons, the black mamba is widely considered the world’s deadliest snake.

Black mambas live in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. They are Africa’s longest venomous snake, reaching up to 14 feet (4.5 meters) in length, although 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) is more the average. They are also among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour (20 kilometers per hour).

They get their name not from their skin color, which tends to be olive to gray, but rather from the blue-black color of the inside of their mouth, which they display when threatened.

Black mambas are shy and will almost always seek to escape when confronted. However, when cornered, these snakes will raise their heads, sometimes with a third of their body off the ground, spread their cobra-like neck-flap, open their black mouths and hiss. If an attacker persists, the mamba will strike not once, but repeatedly, injecting large amounts of potent neuro- and cardiotoxin with each strike.

Before the advent of black mamba antivenin, a bite from this fearsome serpent was 100 percent fatal, usually within about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, antivenin is still not widely available in the rural parts of the mamba’s range, and mamba-related deaths remain frequent.

The black mamba has no special conservation status. However, encroachment on its territory is not only putting pressure on the species but contributes to more potentially dangerous human contact with these snakes.

"Beware" Venomous Spider

Below is a message sent to me by my officemate (Geoffrey). I find it very informative so I decided to post in here to let the viewing public aware and be more careful on this homicidal toilet spider.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three women in North Florida turned up at hospitals over a 5-day period, all with the same symptoms. Fever, chills, and vomiting, followed by muscular collapse, paralysis and finally, death.

There were no outward signs of trauma.

Autopsy results showed toxicity in the blood. These women did not know each other and seemed to have nothing in common. It was discovered, however, that they had all visited the same Restaurant (Olive Garden) within days of their deaths. The Health Department descended on the restaurant , shutting it down. The food, water, and air conditioning were all inspected and tested, to no avail.

The big break came when a waitress at the restaurant was rushed to the hospital with similar symptoms. She told doctors that she had been on vacation, and had only went to the restaurant to pick up her check.

She did not eat or drink while she was there, but had used the restroom.

That is when one toxicologist, remembering an article he had read, drove out to the restaurant, went into the restroom and lifted the toilet seat .

Under the seat, out of normal view , was a small spider. The spider was captured and brought back to the lab, where it was determined to be the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata), so named because of its reddened flesh color. This spider's venom is extremely toxic, but can take several days to take effect. They live in cold, dark, damp climates, and toilet rims provide just the right atmosphere.

Several days later a lawyer from Jacksonville showed up at a hospital emergency room. Before his death, he told the doctor, that he had been away on business, had taken a flight from Indonesia, changing planes in Singapore , before returning home. He did NOT visit (Olive Garden), while there. He did (as did all of the other victims) have what was determined to be a puncture wound, on his right buttock. Investigators discovered that the flight he was on had originated in India.

The Civilian Aeronautics Board (CAB) ordered an immediate inspection of the toilets of all flights from India and discovered the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata) spider's nests on 4 different planes!

It is now believed that these spiders can be anywhere in the country. So please, before you use a public toilet, lift the seat to check for spiders. It can save your life!