Friday Fishy News - January 19

[Flattieman]

Looking at fish can be a moving experience

By Bill Spurr

The Chronicle Herald

California

January 19

The trip from aquarium to the toilet for dead fish just got a lot shorter.

A new product called the Fish-n- Flush is a clear two-piece toilet tank that also contains a fully functioning aquarium inside.

"We wanted to develop a product that had a dual purpose - to serve as a proper, fully functional toilet and also as a source of entertainment and conversation, Richard Quintana, CEO of AquaOne said in a release.

The patented Fish-n-Flush aquarium toilet tank fits most toilets and operates as a conventional interior tank.

The aquarium will accept fresh water, as well as salt, warm and tropical water and the aquarium section of the tank can be easily removed for cleaning without obstructing the toilet from working.

The Fish-n-Flush sells for $299 US and is available at www.fishnflush.com.

Cod enzyme kills H5N1 virus

The Iceland Review

January 17

An Icelandic cod enzyme might be the cure for bird flu, a recent experiment, which the Icelandic company Ensímtaekni hf. took part in, indicates. In five minutes, the isolated fish enzyme killed 99 percent of H5N1 viruses.

The killer enzyme, called penzim, was extracted from the intestines of cod by Ensímtaekni and is currently being developed for beauty products and various types of medicine. The experiment on the H5N1 virus was conducted in London. Fréttabladid reports.

CEO of Ensímtaekni and biochemist Jón Bragi Bjarnason said he is very excited about the results of the bird flu experiment.

“People have feared that the bird flu virus will change into a human flu virus and now we have a likely cure in case that happens,” Bjarnason told Fréttabladid.

Bjarnason also believes that penzim might prove a cure for common flu and cold, eczema in children and arthritis.

Fish died of natural causes

The Courier-Mail

Queensland

January 16

A NATURAL phenomenon and not a chemical spill has been blamed for the death of hundreds of fish at a popular Northern Territory billabong.

More than 1000 fish – many of them large barramundi and catfish – were found floating at the Corroboree Billabong, about 70km southeast of Darwin, at the weekend.

Up to 100 dead fish were found the previous week.

Fishermen said they had seen a film-like substance around waterlilies in the fishing spot.

But NT Fisheries research director Dr Andria Handley said a natural phenomenon was to blame.

"We are confident that the fish kill is a natural phenomenon and an extension of last week's kill," she said.

"Both resulted from showers washing deoxygenated water off the floodplain into the billabong."

Fish tales, wax wails for beauty-mad - A continuation of Pete's article.

By Miral Fahmy

Reuters

January 19

Would you let skin-eating fish nibble at your toes? Or how about shaving your eyebrows and then re-painting them back on?

Beauty is big business in Singapore, where looking good is something of a national obsession.

Turn any corner in this wealthy, tiny island and you're likely to find a spa, a slimming or manicure parlor, a hair salon or a waxing joint – or all five next to each other.

The emphasis on vitality is prevalent in many countries across Asia, but it appears to be most pressing in Singapore.

"Focusing on the body and looking good is very prominent in Singapore for men and women," Saroja Dorairajoo, sociology professor at the National University of Singapore, told Reuters.

"This is a society that depends on people skills more than any other, so it's not only what you have but how you present it, and the emphasis on that is quite amazing."

There are no official figures on the number of beauty outlets in this country of 4.4 million people, but a quick glance through the telephone directory yields at least 3,000 listings.

And it is not a female-only realm, as evident by the numbers of men who sign into online beauty portal www.flowerpod.com and the scores of male spa and salon customers.

Manicure counters are a familiar sight in Singapore's ubiquitous shopping malls, which also boast at least one beauty salon each. On weekends, some nail "technicians" can be seen filing, polishing and pounding the hands and feet of customers on the sidewalks of Orchard Road, the city's main shopping street.

Singapore is Southeast Asia's fourth biggest economy and enjoys one of the highest per-capita incomes in the region. That means more people have more cash to spend, a factor that has spurred the beauty boom.

FISH DIP

Industry researcher Intelligent Spas says the number of spas in Singapore grew by about 63 per cent between 2003 and 2006, with an 11 per cent growth rate forecast for the next two years.

"The outlook for the Singapore spa industry is positive as Singaporeans continue to visit spas," Julie Garrow, Intelligent Spas managing director, said in an email to Reuters.

"Spas are now customizing treatments to incorporate relaxation and to cater for the growing male market."

To satisfy an increasingly sophisticated clientele in a competitive market – and in line with the national penchant for the bizarre – Singapore's beauty providers often go to extremes.

At Take Fish Reflexology, clients' feet are exfoliated by tiny fish that nibble off dead skin – a method used in Turkey for decades to treat diseases. The treatment is also available in some areas of China and Japan.

The spa opened in December on Singapore's Sentosa island and more than 2,000 customers have fed their feet to the fish.

"We wanted an initiative experience," said Jezzamine Lee, communications manager of the Haw Par Corporation that brought the concept to Singapore.

"It also fits in nicely with beauty-mad Singapore."

Another popular beauty treatment is eyebrow embroidery, an industry the local Straits Times newspaper estimated to be worth 5 million Singapore dollars ($3.25 million) a year.

It entails plucking out your natural brows and then drawing strands of hair back using a pen-like device that injects ink under the skin. The result, patrons say, looks more natural than a tattoo and better than Mother Nature.

And if that sounds painful, several hair-removal salons in Singapore offer services for men including "boyzilians" – the male equivalent of the "Brazilian," where almost all the hair is removed from the pubic area using strips daubed in warm wax.

Ouch.

FISHING FOR FASHION: Feet are dipped into a tank in Singapore containing the garra rufa species of fish. Beauty is big business in the image-obsessed country with people willing to try often bizarre treatments.

Flattieman.