Quote of the Post: "Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another." - H. L. Mencken

Random Playlist Song: Giacomo Meyerbeer - Coronation Marrch from The Prophet (aka the song that always accompanies the line: 'The Staff of Raffles Institution')

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Cooking With The Flour Rangers

This is hilarious!



Now, Cooking With The Flour Rangers


Here's Master Chef, Julia Stepchild


Today, we're gonna make Giant Pineapple Upside Down Cake



First, find yourself a Giant Pineapple


Then turn it upside down


Now... add raisins

These are California Raisins. [Someone: How does she know?] [Someone else: She heard it through the grapevine]

I prefer using raisins from the planet across there! *camera pans to earth*


They're much plumper, but make sure they're ripe otherwise they tend to have a very strong pumpkin flavour

The next step is to morph into the Flour Rangers.

[Adam: Baked Alaska!]


[Kimberly: Teriyaki!]

[Billy: Grape Lollipop!]

[Aisha: Soft-Shell Crab!]

[Rocky: Chilli Dogs!]


[Team: Wah dah!]


Then beat gently.

*2 chimps (presumably Bulk and Skull) say something unintelligible*

[Rocky: Don't beat too gently, you don't want lumps!]


Finally, place the cake into the oven at 675,000 degrees.


If your oven doesn't reach that high, a volcano will do nicely.

Keep a close eye on the timer.


And wallah! Bon Appetit!


Be sure to watch our next show! *giggles oddly* We'll prepare *something*, *something* cake, Sushi, Swordfish and *something*

*Unintelligible sounds from Rangers*


*Unintelligible sounds from Julia Stepchild*

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The myth of meritocracy:

"Although dreadfully Darwinian, Japan's educational system has long been praised as a true meritocracy. Poor boys from the provinces could rise above the sons of tycoons if only they could pass the Todai entrance exam.

But now critics say the proliferation of cram schools is making it much more difficult for the children of lower-income families to break into the educational elite.

'Japan appears to be one of the most egalitarian countries in the world, but it is not,' said Todai education professor Toshiyuki Shiomi.

According to a study by Keio University professor Yoshio Higuchi, only 26% of students entering Todai in 1975 were graduates of private high schools. But by 1992, 52% came from private schools.

The wealthier the parents, the more likely they are to invest in cram schools that help their children win admission to these pricey private schools that in turn make it easier to get into the best universities.

'Parental income has a huge effect on a child's education, and through the employment system, it has a huge effect on the child's lifelong income,' Higuchi said."


And what's even sadder (and more pathetic):

"Competition for the best kindergartens is so fierce that some parents are asked not only about their own backgrounds but about the educational and professional achievements of their parents, Shimamura said.

To pass the status sniff test, both parents must be college graduates; the father must be an executive at a large company, run his own company or be a medical doctor; and the mother must stay home to devote herself to educating her children. Although the parents must be able to pay the tuition--more than $11,000 a year for some kindergartens--nouveaux riches' kids are not welcome. 'It's a re-creation of the elite in this country,' Shimamura said.

Keishinkai offered ordinary preschool education from its founding in 1964 until about 10 years ago, when the first kindergartens began holding entrance exams. Now it specializes in helping children pass the tests, though Shimamura says that more than half his job is teaching parents to do a better job of child rearing.

Some of Shimamura's little wards are children who have been so smothered by their parents that the school's first task is to teach them how to get along with other children and how to have fun.

"Half of what the kindergarten testers look at is whether the kid can play," he said.

Reading and writing are not part of the kindergarten tests, but cognitive skills and good manners matter. Shimamura's children are taught to say "good morning" brightly and bow to their teacher, to carry tissues in their pockets and cover their noses when they sneeze.

Most of the kindergarten and elementary school testers offer the children juice and a snack and scrutinize their table manners. So Shimamura too has a bear-shaped jar of snacks. At first, the toddlers tend to stick their fists in and grab a handful, but the well-bred Japanese child is expected to take one or two and place them on a plate before eating them.

Coordination also counts in Japanese society, where clumsiness is equated with stupidity. One elementary school test required the applicant to move a pile of beans from one plate to another with chopsticks. At Shimamura's school, even the 2-year-olds are taught to use scissors (under one-to-one adult supervision), and older children are taught to fold their clothing and tie their shoelaces."

(In Japan, Even Tots Must Make the Grade)