Newscan

Fire holiday

Fire has joined hurricanes and Christmas day as the only forces that can shut the New Orleans' Cafe Du Monde, the 24-hour French Quarter coffeehouse famed for its chicory coffee and beignets (fritters).

The 139-year-old cafe remained closed as workers repaired mostly cosmetic damage from a fire.

The fire started in a grease duct attached to the frying machine used to cook the beignets. No one was hurt in the 10-minute blaze. But the water pumped in, to extinguish the fire seeped into insulation and sheet rock in the kitchen ceiling, so the Cafe had to shut down for repairs.

For the love of St. Bernard

The Chinese have taken a liking to a revered symbol of Switzerland - the St. Bernard dog , but the Swiss are not flattered.

Gentle giants famed for rescuing people in the Alpine snows of Europe, the St. Bernard's size and docile nature have become a major selling point in China, where dog meat has long been a popular delicacy known as "fragrant meat".

Driven by increasing demand to boost meat yields, dog breeders have been drawn to Saint Bernards because they are huge, resistant to disease and prolific, with annual litters, double that of other dogs.

The idea of a national symbol becoming Chinese canine cuisine has sparked strong protests from the Swiss public and from animal rights activists. And a petition signed by 11,000 St. Bernard breeders and owners worldwide demanding a halt to the trade was submitted to the Swiss government by SOS St. Bernard International, a Geneva-based group.

Dream on, couch potato

The couch potato's ultimate fantasy - eating more and weighing less without having to exercise regularly -- could become a reality thanks to a ground-breaking discovery about the way the body burns fat.

Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston said mice that had been genetically modified to lack a key enzyme involved in fat metabolism ate as much as 40 per cent more food than normal mice but weighed 10 to 15 per cent less.

These findings could pave the way for the development of a drug that would target the same enzyme in the human body, providing weight loss without requiring people to eat less or exercise more.

Compiled by NIMI KURIAN

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Answers to the Young World Quiz (April 07, 2001)