For every ounce of gold harvested from mines in the mountains of Peru, 30 tons of landscape are dug-up and disrupted. In little more than ten years, one North American company has removed 19 million ounces of gold from the Peruvian mines. [24 and 25 October issues]
Smoking four or more cigarettes a day for two years will reduce a man’s fertility by 75%. Nicotine has been found to reduce the strength of a sperm’s tail, making it difficult for the sperm to push through an egg’s zona pellucida. [25 October issue]
Amlou, a condiment eaten on bread for breakfast by the Berbers of Morocco, is said to improve virility. Amlou is made from oil derived from seeds of trees known as argan (Argania spinosa of the Sapotaceae). The Times was especially interested that Goats climb the argan trees to eat their fruits. The single, stony seed of the fruit will pass through the gut of a goat. These undigested seeds are harvested by women, who roast them to extract their oil. Seventy pounds of fruit are required to make a liter of oil. [27 October issue] (See also http://www.tabiavillage.com/Elsevier98.pdf for an ethnobotanical study of argan oil.)
I've just been letting everything wash over me. I've pretty much been doing nothing. I've just been sitting around not getting anything done.
Posted by: john | 05 October 2007 at 08:38 AM