FoodTechLite

Cartoon “The Ancients” by Nick D. Kim, Ph.D. Take a look at Nick’s home page.

The Sky’s The Limit
Hoping to generate what can only be termed an out-of-this-world ad campaign, Texas-based Pizza Hut has reportedly contracted with the cash-starved Russian space agency to have the Pizza Hut logo emblazoned on the booster stage of a Russian Proton rocket scheduled to carry the living quarters for the international space station into orbit in mid-November. Although the logo-adorned launch vehicle is expected to burn up in the atmosphere after being jettisoned prior to orbit, Pizza Hut plans to use footage of the launch in a series of ads scheduled to air in the new Millennium. The reported price tag: $1.25 million.

CCCP BLEECH
Perhaps the Russian space program wouldn’t be so hard-pressed for cash if they could come up with better ways to turn a dollar. Take their latest scheme: For the past 25 years, microbiologists at Moscow’s Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) have been feeding their Russian cosmonauts a strange concoction of yogurt—fermented using the gut bacteria of fellow cosmonauts—to help the space travellers maintain healthy, probiotic levels of bacteria in their intestines. Long-duration space flights are apparently so demanding on the human immune system that while in orbit harmful bacteria can build up in the intestinal tract, causing digestive complications. To combat the problem, Russian cosmonauts are routinely fed the yogurt, both in preparation for, and during, their journey into space. Nadezhda Lizko, head of the IBMP yogurt team, recently told the British Broadcasting Network that cosmonauts have become so fond of their yogurt, IBMP has decided to begin selling it commercially. They’ve even expanded their cosmo-probiotic product line to include fruit-flavored yogurts, cottage cheese, and traditional Russian cheeses with herbs and garlic. Now, there’s a money-maker!

Cartoon “Capital Punishment” by Nick D. Kim, Ph.D. Take a look at Nick’s home page.