Sideswipe: February 28: Well, Miss Piggy does have a temper ...

Frog torture.

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Hiccups cured!

There are many remedies for hiccups - breathing into a paper bag, holding your breath, sipping cold water or gargling with ice water - but none of them seem to work. Scientifically known as “idiopathic persistent singultus”, a hiccup starts with a quick spasm of the diaphragm. The SSMI technique (supra-supramaximal inspiration) was developed by a surgeon and involves a relatively simple breathing technique: “First, exhale completely, then inhale a deep breath. Wait 10 seconds, then - without exhaling - inhale a little more. Wait another five seconds, then top up the breath again. Finally, exhale.”

Eat or chuck?

Don't discard it, ingest it.

According to PopSci, banana peels are also both delicious and nutritious: “Given the proper application of heat, sauce and spices, these oft-discarded skins make a pretty darn good plant-based substitute for barbecue pulled-pork sandwiches. Believe it. The idea may not have caught on in the US yet, but people in Venezuela, India and Southeast Asia have been cooking and eating banana peels for years. And not only are they edible, they’re good for you, too: banana peels contain potassium, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins B6 and B12, magnesium and even protein.”

Alarming facts

1. In 1955, Campbell Soup wanted to sell more of their canned beef bouillon and marketing had a brainwave - make them into non-alcoholic cocktails! Thus Soup on the Rocks was born. Later, they also came up with Frisky Sour (Campbell’s beef broth mixed with ice and lemon juice) and chicken soup martini.

2. According to The Anti-Defamation League, all the extremist-related murders in 2022 were committed by right-wing extremists of various kinds and 21 of the 25 murders were linked to white supremacists.