Top 3 Historically Bad Countries In The Olympics

1. Monaco (20 Summer Olympics, 8 Winter Olympics)

Monaco started its long march toward being the country competing in the most Olympics without an athletic medal in 1920.  The 1920 Summer Olympics were held in Antwerp, Belgium.  Monaco’s Julien Médecin did actually win a Bronze Medal in the 1924 Games…for Architecture.  The medal was for Town Planning for the Stadium of Monte Carlo.  Since art competitions are not counted in the official athletic medal count, Monaco still does not officially have a medal in an athletic competition.  The only question now is, what will happen first: Monaco winning an athletic medal, or the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series?

2. San Marino (13 Summer Olympiads, 7 Winter Olympiads)

San Marino first participated in the Summer Olympic Games in 1960 in Rome, Italy.  San Marino was somewhat notable for causing a bit of a stir about the United States-led boycott in the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics.  San Marino supported the boycott, partially.  San Marino allowed its athletes to compete, but the San Marino contingent did not compete under their own flag in support of the boycott: they competed under the Olympic flag.  They might want to use the Olympic flag more often.  Stefano Casali had one of San Marino’s best finishes ever, with a 24th place finish in the 20-kilometer walk.

3. Andorra (10 Summer Olympiads, 10 Winter Olympiads)

Andorra has appeared in every Olympics Games (both Summer and Winter) since 1976.  Andorra’s first Olympic appearance was the Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria.  While the consistency effort is certainly laudable, the results have certainly been a bit lacking.  The lone top-20 finish for any athlete by Andorra came in the 1988 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.  Vicki Grau finished 19th in the Women’s Slalom.  The same year, Grau did not finish the Women’s Giant Slalom.  That would be the high-water, or perhaps high-snow, mark.

Top 3 Things China Invented First

1. Toilet Paper

The classic over versus under debate is much older than previously thought. Its first mention is by official Yan Zhitui in 589 BC, again because the Chinese were ahead of the game when it came to paper manufacturing. Their purpose is stated quite clearly by an Arab visitor in 851 AD, who remarks that the Chinese wipe themselves with paper, while the rest of the world was using water, their hands, wood shavings, lace, or the ever popular Roman “sponge on a stick.” The Chinese even one-upped themselves, and proceeded to perfume their poo paper for the royal family in 1393. (Actual ancient toilet paper not represented in art above.)

2. Restaurant Menu

The biggest reason that the Chinese beat other cultures to the finish line here is because they already had a handle on paper by the time the Song Dynasty rolled around. Due to even ancient China’s expansive populated regions that would trade with each other, hungry merchants could find an abundance of food to eat, but were not familiar with a lot of it. Thus, the menu was born to provide a guide for hungry merchants and foreign travelers. Menus popped up where ever food was sold: temples, brothels, theaters, and tea houses as well as typical food stalls and restaurants.

3. Holistic Health

Even more surprising to me than the invention of the fork, was that Chinese medicine was on to some major health points before their time, such as good health through proper diet. In the 4th century, the royal courts had Imperial Dieticians to guide the royal family down the road to healthy eating. In the Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing found out through trial and error that certain foods would address symptoms of poor health. Imperial Dietician Hu Sihui published a similar book in 1330 that put together information on healthy diets dating from the 3rd century.

Not only were they proponents of a variable diet, they were also the first endocrinologists, meaning that they were clued in to and could address hormone imbalances before everyone else. In 1110 BC, they were able to extract sex hormones from urine using gypsum and natural soaps like saponin. They could then use these extracted hormones to treat a wide variety of sex hormone issues, from erectile dysfunction to menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea).

Top 3 Disgusting Ingredients You’ve Probably Eaten Today

1. The First Approval Of Viruses As A Food Additive

The Food and Drug Administration approved, six years ago, a cocktail of bacteria-killing viruses to prevent listeriosis.  There are about 1600 cases of listeriosis, with 410 deaths per year in the United States.

The special viruses (bacteriophages) are sprayed on poultry products and ready-to-eat meat just before they are packaged.  What will happen when listeria develops resistance to the bacteriophages over time? 

These viral additives are used to fight potential infections from poor quality meat.  Why expose millions of individuals to unnecessary risk for the benefit of so few? What food safety authorities should really do is raise the standards and improve the quality of our food supply. What’s your opinion on the latest food additive?

2. Insect Filth, Mold, Rodent Filth, Maggots

The US Food and Drug Administration condones a certain percentage of natural contaminants in the food supply chain.  Here’s how many of these yummy-nummies to expect in your food:

All spice, ground: average of 30 or more insect fragments / 10g; 1 or more rodent hairs / 10g

Berries: average mold count is 60% or more; average of 4 or more larvae per 500 g; 10 or more whole insects or equivalent per 500 g.

Frozen broccoli: 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 g.

Chocolate: 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams; 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams; (when six 100-gram subsamples are examined)

Macaroni and noodle products: 225 insect fragments or more / 225g

Canned and dried mushrooms: 20 or more maggots of any size / 100g; 75 mites / 100g

Peanut butter: 30 or more insect fragments / 100g; 1 or more rodent hairs / 100g

Tomato juice: 10 or more fly eggs / 100g; 5 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggots / 100g; average mold count in 6 subsamples is 24%.

Tomato paste: 30 or more fly eggs / 100g; 15 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggots / 100g; 2 or more maggots /100g in a minimum of 12 subsamples.

Source

Some products may have natural contaminants, others not.  Unfortunately, the European Union does not regulate the amount of filth or mold in food; it has explicitly exempted the above listed “ingredients” from regulation.

Don’t misunderstand me, entomophagy is not gross.  The benefits of eating insects are overwhelming, but there’s a very big difference between eating processed remnants of bugs and rats, and consuming healthy & edible insects that are rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins.

3. Cellulose

Cellulose comes in a variety of forms – powdered cellulose (E460ii), microcrystalline cellulose (MCC or E460i) or cellulose gum – each with a specific use.  The odorless and tasteless powdered cellulose is sourced from either bamboo or cotton-based plant material.  Often labeled as high-fiber or reduced fat, the “miracle” ingredient may be used in the following foods: cheese, yogurt, ice cream, processed fruits, vegetables, cereals, pre-cooked pasta, and bakery wares. 

Dan Inman, director of R&D at J. Rettenmaier USA, said that manufacturers add cellulose to their products because it acts as an extender, reducing breakage and providing structure.  Food producers from all over the world save almost 30% in ingredient costs by going for cellulose as a filler or thickener.  Powdered cellulose can replace as much as 50% of the fat in some biscuits, cakes and cookies.

Sara Lee, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, Dole, KFC, Nestle and Kraft Foods are some of the many brands that put wood in our food.  Safe or not, it’s disturbingly unnatural to have cellulose in aliments. No wonder food doesn’t taste anymore as it used to.