Why Consuming Trash Fish could Help Environmental Protection?

Atlantic butter fish (credit to: Iberconsa)

American favorite seafood are salmon, tuna and shrimp. They consumed about 21.7 kg (48 pound) per capita per year.

But, you might not know that these marine species are not sustainable. Their population are depletion due to many causes, few of them are:

- over fishing

- over consumed

- diseases

- environmental degeneration

Consume “trash fish” instead of favorite ones is one of ways to help reducing of commercial fish in nature.

What? Trash fish?

Atlantic butter fish dish, look delicious (credit to Roy Yamaguchi)

“Trash” or waste is not what its literally mean. Trash fish, like other fish that they are rich in protein and nutritional rich too.

What we call “trash fish” is actually “by catching fish.” Not in purpose to be caught. They are abundance in market, thus, the price will be cheap.

Butter fish is one of “trash fish” which have great taste if cooked with proper recipe. The price is very cheap, less than US$ 1.00 per pound.

Just for comparison, tuna fish worth for US$ 30 per pound, and salmon US$ 9.99 per pound.

However, salmon costs depend very much on:

- species

- location where it from: Alaska, Norway, Denmark or other countries

- caught in the river or ocean

- wild or aquaculture salmons.

Moreover, I myself found butter fish in an ethnic grocery. The meat is white, also called as “white tuna.” I grilled the fish sometimes. Delicious for me.

Have you eaten trash fish? What species do you eat? 

Could Medicines Affect on Pancreas to Produce Insulin? - Diabetes 4

Niacin (vitamin B3), just for illustration (credit to Shuvani)

Previous post (please read: Why Pancreas of Type 2 Diabetic Persons Produce Less Insulin? - Diabetes 3 | Tanza Erlambang Update), we mentioned several factors may affect on beta cell to produce insulin in pancreas.

Factors lead to harm beta cells are distinguished at least in three groups:

- Medical or pharmacological

- Biological or metabolically

- Environmental factor

We discuss effect of medicine on beta cells in this post. Some drugs have negative effect on beta cells:

- antimicrobial drugs

- antidepressants

- Niacin (vitamin B3)

- anti seizure medicines

- HIV medicines

- Pneumonia medicine such as Pentamidine

- Glucocorticoids (asthma and rheumatic arthritis drugs)

- Statin

Statin tablets (credit to AARP)

Two medicines that got attention recently are Statin and Niacin. Both are used to lower cholesterol level in the blood.

Niacin is a supplement, mean we can buy without doctor prescriptions. It is sold not only in drug stores, but also in groceries (I saw in some groceries).

Statin is a prescription medicine. In addition to combat bad cholesterol, Statin also known for heart protection, and avoiding stroke. Unfortunately, Statin may develop risk of diabetes.

Niacin as vitamin B3, a supplement that could reduce arthritis and stimulate brain function. Proper dosage is 15 mg per day.

Negative effect of Niacin that it increases the level of sugar in the blood. Thus, It may harm beta cell, then affect on diabetes patients.

Finally, diabetes patients should aware about negative effect of any medicines. If doubt, just come and ask physicians.

Do You Want to Have International Flights for Few Dollars?

Eastar Jet, the budget airplane

In normal seasons, most one way flight cost for US$ 200 from Seoul (South Korea) to Fukuoka (Japan) or vice versa.

We may lucky enough to find the cheapest price of around US$ 100. Usually, the price around US$ 150.

Few budget travel companies may charge below US$ 100, often, about US$ 85 for one way ticket either to Seoul or Fukuoka. .

Actually, We will see the increasing of flight price during September to November because of important holidays, both in Japan and South Korea.

One of budgets travels, Easter Jet is giving a surprise cheap flight under US$ 10 for travel between South Korea and Japan:

- US$ 8.38 (Euro 7.57) flight from Seoul (South Korea) to Fukuoka (Japan)

- US$ 9.35 (Euro 8.44) flight from Fukuoka (Japan) to Seoul (South Korea).

One of shopping corners in Fukuoka, Japan

In addition to South Korea, Eastar Jet airlines have flights to cover other 10 countries destinations, they are:

- Russia

- Japan

- Singapore

- China

- Cambodia

- Malaysia

- Philippine

- Taiwan

- Thailand

- Vietnam

Off course, the price is not under US$ 10, but competitive compared to other companies.

You may have a question about service quality of flights. Of 130 reviewers, they have given 3.5 stars of 5. I think not bad, a quite reasonable good for a lower cost travel.

Do you plan to have international flights in near future? Good luck.

Reliefs on the Largest Buddha Temple in the World, Borobudur – part 2

Big vessel on temple wall

We talked about relief of Buddha life as the first part of the article (you may read at: 

- What is Inside Stupa of the Buddha Temple of Borobudur? | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Reliefs on the Largest Buddha Temple in the World, Borobudur – part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Now, we concern with relief of “the daily life of people surrounding the temple around 1,200 years ago.”

At above Figure, the relief showed that people surround temple has a big vessel to conduct overseas trade.

Indeed, Syailendra dynasty was one of a prominent dynasty in Indonesia, their reign has been marked as cultural Renaissance in the region of the Southeast Asia.

In addition to build the biggest Buddha temple in the world, Syailendra dynasty was considered to be ruled a maritime Southeast Asia.

The trade extended to the countries such as:

- India

- Madagascar

- Cape Town

- Ghana

- Other Asian and African countries

Reliefs on the temple wall

Other daily life of 8^th century of Java (one of 5 big islands in Indonesia) was depicted on temple’s wall, may include:

- life of people in the forest

- life of people in the villages

- palace life

We may know how ancient Java made a medicine, a herbal medicine called as “Jamu.” Drinking jamu regularly is common practice until now.

Fables also part of relief. One interesting story is about friendship between monkey and buffalo.

Known that buffalo was ready to sacrifice himself to save the monkey, Ogre canceled his wish to eat monkey.

It is interesting to understand the reliefs on the wall of temple as part of tour to Borobudur.

Why the Moon Has Thousands of Small Aliens?

Water bear (credit to CNN)

It was surprising me to know that our lunar surface is believed to occupy by thousands of tardigrade, also called as water bear or piglet like creatures.

These small aliens are part of mission “Noah Ark Mark II” to provide a library in the space craft, then landed on the moon.

In addition to tardigrades, the repository includes:

- human blood

- living DNA

- information about human civilization (30 million pages)

- almost all of English Wikipedia

- classic books

The library was belong to a non profit organization (Arch Mission Foundation), and sent to the moon by Beresheet, Israeli spacecraft. 

Alien (credit to NBC)

In case of hypothetical condition where all human being and living things destroyed in the world, because of:

- flood or natural disasters like story of prophet Noah in holy books

- wars (nuclear wars)

- whatever caused

Hopefully, other highly intelligence creatures from other planets might find the lunar library, let’s say in the next hundred or thousand years. They could learn something from man civilization on the earth.

Tardigrades (credit to NewsBeezer)

What attract attention is less than 1 mm microorganism, Tardigrades or water bear or piglet like animals.

This microorganism is toughest living microorganism on the earth:

- may survive in the freezing north pole

- found in the deepest ocean

- grow well on the highest mountain

- survived in the space.

It is assumed that the outer space intelligent also able to regenerate:

- human being from human blood sample

- plants and animals from living DNA

- microorganism from dormant “water bear”

We, human being and other living things could re-emerge on the earth. Exactly, like holy books story of prophet Noah in futuristic version.

Do you believe it?

Will Electric Cars Take Over Gasoline Car in Near Future?

An affordable electric car

Electric cars or Electric vehicles (EVs) are getting popular in recent days. From thousand only last decade, it was estimated 2 million Evs sold in 2018.

EVs Production is quite low compared to 85 million of conventional cars (fossil fuel) in 2018.

In the next 20 year (2038), Electric cars will overtake fossil fuel cars. Of 97 million, EVs will be produced 50 million in the world. Production increases to 57 million in 2040.

What are the reasons people fall in love to electric cars? Here some of them:

- worry about air pollution and global warming

- technology (improvement in battery)

- low cost

- range improvement

- shorter battery charge time

- plenty of charging stations

- no oil change

- no smog test

- minimum or no repair service at all

In addition, some countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and even China are planning to ban using of fossil fuel cars at all in near future.

One of Tesla supercharge stations.

Electric cars prices are cheaper day by day, not luxury car anymore. By coming years, affordable price will be around US$ 30,000 (Euro 27,000) or less.

Term of kilowatt per hour for Evs is comparable to a Mile per gallon for traditional cars. The cost of battery charge is US$ 2.64 to reach 70 mile.

Brand new Tesla able to travel 250 miles per one charge of batteries. Thus we need:

- (250 miles/70 miles) x US$ 2.64 = US$ 9.4 per charge for 250 miles.

Based on 2018 calculation, comparison costs between Evs and gasoline cars are following:

- US$ 485 for Electric car per year.

- US$ 1,117 for gasoline car per year.

Maintenance for electric vehicle is much more cheaper than traditional gasoline ones.

Do you plan to have Electrical Vehicle in the near future?

Why Pancreas of Type 2 Diabetic Persons Produce Less Insulin? - Diabetes 3

Pancreas organ produces insulin (credit to Surgita Ltd)

You might know that insulin is an important hormone to bring glucose from blood into cells, then broken as source of energy.

The glucose also be stored by cells for future purposes. Hence, insulin would maintain blood sugar in the normal level, not lower (hypoglycemia) or not higher (hyperglycemia).

It is fact that people with type 2 diabetes have their pancreas produced less insulin than normal people.

The question then, Why Pancreas of Type 2 Diabetic Person Produce Less Insulin?

Generally, pancreas produces less or even stop producing of insulin at all due to several factors:

- damages to some part of pancreas because of cancer and trauma

- negative effects of using certain medicines

- diseases such as hormonal diseases

- gen mutation

Beta cell in the pancreas (credit to PLOS Biology)

If we observe the pancreas, there is the tiny spot (an area) called as “the islet.” This area contains “beta cell”

The islet accommodates of 50% to 70% of beta cell that contribute to insulin production.

Here, how Beta cells have connections to diabetes:

- if beta cell damaged or degeneration, then caused to insulin dependent (type 1 diabetes)

- if beta cells are reduced in numbers (because regeneration rate less than death rate), then, caused to insulin production less (type 2 diabetes).

In addition, beta cell deficiency of functioning, together with body resistance to insulin may lead to type 2 diabetes as well.