JAGAZEEN

Cow’s milk might be a thing of the past- as non-dairy foody types prepare to jump onto the latest fad. For the alternative milk market- this one really could be revolutionary- it’s Cockroach milk. Mmmmmmmm. The liquid is secreted from the insects in the form of crystals, normally used to nourish its hatchlings.   A unique blend of proteins, fats and sugars, the milk of the pacific beetle cockroach, otherwise known as Diploptera Punctata is extremely nutritious. In fact, a single crystal of the milk is guaranteed to contain more than three times the energy of an equivalent measure of normal cow’s milk. Is the idea of cockroach secretions getting up in your collar? Are you itching to go and locate this delicacy? I very much doubt it. And on the line of dairy free, there are a few factors that might put you off. For one, scientists are boasting that this milk is cruelty free. But the cockroach will die in the process of extracting the crystals. And because the critt...

We are nearing that time of year again, when students bound up in coursework are released onto the streets in their black caps and gowns. That’s right folks, it is time for many hardworking scholars to graduate to level three, the real world. Graduation is a funny time. It’s an archaic ceremony where students are encouraged to pay through their teeth for a mortarboard and cloak, so that they can pretend to be Harry Potter when they collect their degree. Maybe there’ll be tears, most will be relieved it’s all over- and some will be lamenting their poor procrastination habits that left them both penniless and degreeless. On the other end of the spectrum, those in the top quartile of their class will receive high honors for their hard work. These honors are just as archaic as the graduation ceremony- those in the top 10% of their class will graduate with a summa cum laude. This is a latin phrase, meaning ‘with the highest honour’. But one student had their success censored,...

China is planning to abandon a policy that restricts the number of children each family can have. According to a report seen by Bloomberg, the move will draw one of the world’s longest and most controversial social experiments to a close. Introduced in 1979, the one child policy was implemented as a strategy to slow the populations growth rate- the Chinese government claims that the one child policy has prevented 400 million births. But this figure is widely disputed by critics, who claim that China’s birthrate was already in decline, and all the policy did was encourage alarming rates of female infanticide. In 2016, the rule was relaxed to allow families to birth two children. The easing of the policy helped increase the number of births in the country by almost 8%, according to state media reports. But more is needed in order to combat the rapidly ageing population. With birthrates in rapid decline since the 1980’s, the pressure is on President Xi JinPing as he makes m...

Despite what Donald Trump says, climate change is real, and it’s upon us. One species that stand culpable for the threat of our extinction, are the cows. Or more exclusively, their grassy bovine butts. You see, cows produce a lot of methane gas. Pungently scented, methane is also an incredibly powerful greenhouse gas. Methane fumes are puffing in from the pastures at an accelerated rate- If we compare it to carbon dioxide, which is chugged out by our four legged friends of the metropolis (the cars), methane traps thirty times more heat in our atmosphere. We are being dutch-ovened by the livestock, and something needs to be done about it. That is why one group of researchers from the California Dairy Research Programme have been blessed with the task of studying cow gas, and they’ve been given a quarter of a million dollars to do so. It’s a noble job, and perhaps the future of mankind depends on it. Nevertheless, the task of prevent a cow from passing wind is somewhat ...

We’re nearing the end of what seemed to be a long, long week, and I for one am keen to recline- But not so keen that I would lay down in a coffin. Try telling that to Professor Veeranut Rojanaprapa, who has newly opened the Kid Mai Death café in Bangkok- where the star attraction is the white coffin that customers are encouraged to lock themselves into. The entrepreneur calls it ‘the ideal place to practice death’ after noshing down on some cake. The Buddhist ‘exhibition’ is modelled on the ‘death awareness’ teachings from the Buddah himself, a fundamental topic in the religion. Buddhists are encouraged to be aware that the end could be round the corner. ‘If you know you will die tomorrow, you will not waste time trying to avenge your enemies, or counting your money.’ At the Kid Mai Death café, patrons can choose from a selection of themed beverages. ‘Pain’, and ‘suffering’ cakes can be eaten and washed down with ‘last day’ lattes. Customers are also encouraged to plan ...