Queen Ants in Brazil + Horse Meat

choi

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(1) Alexei Barrionuevo and Myrna Domit, Mmm, Fried Giants; Get 'em While You Can. New York Times, Jan. 5, 2010 (title in the print).
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/world/americas/05ants.html?scp=1&sq=ants%20brazil&st=cse

Quote:

"Generations of indigenous people treated the ants as a protein substitute for fish and monkeys, residents said. Today, Silveiras residents — and the people who drive hundreds of miles every year to buy the ants — value them not only for their protein, but also as an aphrodisiac and source of natural antibiotics.

"These are no ordinary ants scampering over sugary leftovers, like the tiny American variety. Içás are big — up to an inch in length — and fat, and they can bite viciously.

"In northern Colombia, locals are exporting their “hormigas culonas” or big-rear queen ants, to France, Britain and other countries, where they are dipped in chocolate.

Note: Eucalyptus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus
(The generic name is derived from the Greek words eu, meaning "well," and kalyptos, meaning well "covered," which refers to the operculum on the calyx that initially conceals the flower/ section 8 Cultivation, uses, and environmental effects)

My comment:
(a) Eucalyptus is a genus name, so the first letter is capitalized according to Linnaeus' binominal nomenclature.
(b) Paragraph 1 says the ants have wings. So they are probably queen ants, which do come out before it rains. But why are there so many queens?

(2) Stephanie Simon, Horse Slaughter Is Reconsidered; Animal-Welfare Groups Are Joining Ranchers in a Push to Revive an Industry That Died in 2007. Wall Street Journal, Jan. 5, 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703808704576062064022541024.html
("Most horse meat from the U.S. was sent to the lucrative markets of Europe and Asia, where the flesh is stewed, grilled or sliced thin and eaten raw")

My comment: I disagree with Taiwan which fines but does not imprison the eating or selling of dog meat.

Taiwan bans dog meat. BBC, Jan. 2, 2001.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1097823.stm
(a fine of $300 for eating dog or cat)

Taiwan law takes bite out of dog meat sales. China Post (Taipei), Dec. 17, 2007.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2007/12/17/135250/Taiwan-law.htm
(fines of up to NT$250,000 (US$7,730) for sellers of dog meat)
The new law stiffened penalty of a 2004 law.



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