"The sad truth is that excellence makes people nervous." - Shana Alexander

***

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ - ""Jackson Pollock.org", Miltos Manetas, 2003. Unique edition, Blow de la Barra Gallery, London, UK"

Why New York City's Iconic Pizza Is So Tough to Replicate - ""As you cook, some ingredients vaporize, and these volatilized particles can attach themselves to the walls of the baking cavity," Tisi says. "The next time you use the oven, these bits get caught up in the convection currents and deposited on the food, which adds flavor." Over time, he says, more particles join the mix and mingle with the savory soot from burned wood or coal — the only fuels worth using — to create a flavor that you can't grow in a garden: gestalt, if you will... "Water," Batali says. "Water is huge. It's probably one of California's biggest problems with pizza." Water binds the dough's few ingredients. Nearly every chemical reaction that produces flavor occurs in water, says Chris Loss, a food scientist with the Culinary Institute of America... The tap water in Manhattan is far different from that of the motherland. His solution: create his own mineral-water composite. Working from a chemical analysis of l'acqua italiana, Batali's team basically clones the H2O that gives the food in Italy its — well, its gestalt."

AppleDefects.com - Customer Complaints & Issues - Defective Apple Products, iPod, MacBook, iMac, Mac problems

Kami Kami bite counter keeps your kid masticating - "We've no clue what kind of sick, demented parent would ever put their child through this, but for those with offspring who like to, say, swallow their hamburgers whole, we suppose it may come in handy. From the wide, wacky and utterly bizarre world that is Japanese gadgetry comes this: a bite counter from Nitto Kagaku. As you'd expect, the headgear keeps track of how many bites your kid takes, and it even plays a little jingle every 1,000 chews in order to celebrate the occasion. 'Course, there is the proven side effect of obesity, but at least they'll be making mincemeat out of everything they can get their hands on while gradually growing to 385 pounds."

Why Girls with Asperger's Might Not Be Diagnosed - "It's not uncommon for girls with Asperger's to go undiagnosed well into adulthood... This gender gap may have implications for the health and well-being of girls on the spectrum... Preliminary genetic analyses suggest that autism may be caused by different genes in each gender; and at least one MRI study has found differences in the brain anatomy of boys and girls on the spectrum. Simon Baron-Cohen, a renowned autism researcher, has shown that high levels of fetal testosterone may also play a role. But that work has yet to be replicated, mainly, say Loveland and others, due to a lack of funding or interest. "A lot of people see Baron-Cohen's work as 'politically incorrect,'" says Loveland. "Any time you start talking about a biological basis of sex differences, you are looking at controversy.""
More LPPL!

Neuronal Mechanisms Underlying the Perception of Pitch and Harmony - "Our investigations imply that fundamental aspects of harmonic perception are by no means just culturally inherited. Instead the recognition of musical harmony, or consonance, is an intrinsic property of our brains. Although realized by neuronal components, the processing of periodic sounds may be directly compared to resonances in musical instruments. Just as temporal aspects of acoustic resonances underlie the harmonicity of musical sounds, temporal aspects of neuronal correlation mechanisms may explain our preference for harmonic relationships in music. Pythagoras observed a correspondence between the mathematical laws underlying our perception of consonance and those governing universal harmony of the physical world. He suggested a universally valid principle: consonance, or harmony, whether auditory or cosmic, depends on integers and simple integer ratios. These ancient philosophical views may be supported by the neurophysiology of pitch perception."
"Music without melody and rhythm"

WHERE ARE YOU ON THE JOURNEY TO DESPAIR - "Our observations, having been in the profession for over a combined 30 years, allow us to conclude that there is a predictable progression in the working life of a lawyer beginning with a honeymoon period of Wonderment after admission to the bar and ending in total Despair flowing from the realization of a wasted life of paper pushing, pettiness and toiling in the gardens of minutia and the unimportant. A freshly minted lawyer does not generally come to his first job a broken person, he gets there in stages"

Murdered for being an Atheist - "On October 18, 2004, Arthur Shelton, a self described Christian and Eagle Scout, murdered his friend and roommate, Larry Hooper, because Hooper didn't believe in God... He appeared calm, cooperative and enjoyed the cookies and milk he was served. Once again Arthur was obsessed about talking about God and the Eagle Scouts. He stated he "was not sorry for a second that he killed Hooper." He stated, "In the eyes of the law I was wrong and will probably spend the rest of my life in prison, but in the eyes of God I have killed an evil person -- the devil himself."

Japanese J-Cups - "There’s certainly no shortage of J-this and J-that giants in Japan, with the likes of J-Com, J-Mart and the country’s football-focused J-League to name but a few... as ample as Ms Fujiwara’s assets may be, they fall way short of the titanic talents of Hitomi. A young lady who now helps jam a ginormous amount of Japan into J-Cup."

Were more race-blind than we think - " Our Presidents, from Yusof Ishak to Benjamin Sheares to current incumbent President S.R. Nathan, have all enjoyed popular support among the people without any hint of distaste merely because they were and are of a 'minority' race. It thus stands to reason that what holds Singaporeans back from supporting a non-Chinese Prime Minister is not their racism or their morality, but the reified structures which insist on racial quotas and push the choice into the hands of an elected few. "

Marvel Comics vs Science: The 5 Most Absurd Superhero Origins - "The super-soldier serum-an anabolic steroid cocktail brimming with various classified growth hormones not approved by the FDA-has immediate virilizing and hormonal side effects. They manage to atrophy his testicles, increase his cholesterol levels, give him acne all over his back and grow him a sexy pair of large, non-lactating breasts. While the shadowy government agency debates whether or not to allow a woman into the military, Steve responds to critical spikes in his testosterone levels by breaking free from his restraints, grabbing a nearby doctor and anally violating him while pounding fist-sized holes in the wall and demanding a protein shake. He is immediately shot full of tranquilizers and the super-soldier program is quietly shelved. Steve spends the rest of his life trying unsuccessfully to sue to the government. He is eventually paid a modest settlement just to shut him up. He opens a gym, enters a few power-lifting competitions, dates a waitress named Tracy and dies at 32 of liver failure. The Nazis, meanwhile, with the absence of a credible superhero to combat Zombie Robot Hitler, swiftly conquer the world."

Japanese Onion Soup - "The basic Japanese soup that's given out as an appetizer at most Japanese restaurants. Very mild, a bit salty, and a touch of tang."
How come I don't know what this is? Damn gaijin!

The wrongheaded American belief that Barack Obama could only happen here - "The truth is that Obama-style chiefs of state—people who came out of stigmatized ethnic minorities or "foreign'' enclaves to lead their governments—are an uncommon but regularly recurring part of history. Alberto Fujimori, who held both Peruvian and Japanese citizenship, was elected president of Peru in 1990. Sonia Gandhi, born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino in northern Italy, led her Congress Party to a resounding victory in India's 2004 elections. Daniel arap Moi is from the Kalenjin people, not the Luo or Kikuyu who are the nation's largest ethnic groups and its centers of political gravity. But this did not bar him being president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002."

Teacher Accused Of Wizardry - "A Florida substitute teacher said his job disappeared after he did a magic trick in front of his students. Substitute teacher Jim Piculas made a toothpick disappear, then reappear, in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land O'Lakes."

【楽天市場】メンズインナー・その他部門にて11／12、11／19週間ランキング１位！！Ｍｅｎ，ｓ ｐｒｅｍｉｕｍ ｂｒａｓｓｉｅｒｅ　メンズプレミアムブラ男性用ブラ：ウィッシュルーム - ??? Damn Japs.

Child-Man in the Promised Land - "What set Maxim apart from other men’s mags was its voice. It was the sound of guys hanging around the Animal House living room—where put-downs are high-fived; gadgets are cool; rock stars, sports heroes, and cyborg battles are awesome; jobs and Joni Mitchell suck; and babes are simply hot—or not... Whatever else you might say about Playboy or Esquire, they tried to project the image of a cultured and au courant fellow; as Hefner famously—and from today’s cultural vantage point, risibly—wrote in an early Playboy, his ideal reader enjoyed “inviting a female acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, sex.” Hearing this, the Maxim dude would want to hurl. He’d like to forget that he ever went to school."
And yet Playboy is banned here while Maxim is legal. Sigh.

Catching up on two lost decades - "According to his family, 39-year-old Terry Wallis's entire frame of reference is stuck in 1984. They say that he thinks Ronald Reagan is still president but is talking non-stop to try to close the 19-year gap. Terry Wallis was only 19 when a serious car accident plunged him into a coma. Not long before that, he and his wife Sandi had been celebrating the birth of their baby daughter. "

Where is my susu pekat manis? - "MOST Malaysians of my generation, or even the generation before, grew up with sweetened condensed milk (susu pekat manis) as an essential additive to our daily beverages... Alas, sweetened condensed milk faced a slow but inevitable extinction in Malaysia sometime early last year. What all of us are consuming today, and what is available widely in all hyper- and mini-markets, is an inferior substitute called sweetened condensed creamer (krimer pekat manis)... Condensed creamer is without a doubt an inferior product in terms of taste and content... Sweetened condensed milk was one of the tens of items that were price-controlled by the government of Malaysia... what makes the entire situation laughable is that sweetened condensed milk remains an item among hundreds in the list of products tracked by the country's official inflation indicator. It is therefore not surprising that the government's official statistics declared inflation to be nearly nonexistent (at 2%) in 2007."
Malaysia Boleh!
One comment: "In UK the condensed milk is made from pure fresh milk and sugar as the only two ingredients. What you have not pointed out is that what consumption of too much palm oil does to the health of the population. Looking at the increasing incidence of high lipids (cholesterol) in the population, the local condensed milk industry is slowing killing us."
Another: "I realised the vegetables sold in Singapore from Malaysia are better in quality too"

Student arrested for threatening school with zombie invasion - "“My story is based on fiction,” said Poole, who faces a second-degree felony terrorist threatening charge. “It’s a fake story. I made it up. I’ve been working on one of my short stories, (and) the short story they found was about zombies. Yes, it did say a high school. It was about a high school over ran by zombies.”"

Day Without A Gay, December 10, 2008 - "On December 10, 2008 the gay community will take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes. On December 10, you are encouraged not to call in sick to work. You are encouraged to call in "gay"--and donate your time to service!"
Wow. Another "just because we can" initiative.
This comment says it best: "A strike is only going to be perceived as gays trying to ruin everything and acting out - especially in a troubled economy. Next idea, please?"

PG porn video made by Gilmore Girls star - "IT started when three brothers joked about making pornography for fans of the genre who happen to be offended by on-screen sex. Out of that joke came an idea for a web series, and they called it PG Porn... With pornography all over the internet and the video store, the Gunn brothers rely on viewers' familiarity with all its conventions — the goofy acting, the bad music, the lace-thin plots — to create movies that look like the real thing but skirt nudity. Comedy substitutes for hard-core sex."

"When all is summed up, a man never speaks of himself without loss; his accusations of himself are always believed; his praises never." - Michel de Montaigne

***

Facing Sudden Loss

"Of all the experiences we confront in life, the toughest to face is the sudden, unexpected loss of someone we love. Loss in itself is painful enough, but sudden loss is shocking. The shock doubles our pain and intensifies our grief.

Even if on some level we understand that no one lives forever, actually losing people we love is unimaginable. When we know someone we love has a fatal disease or when we have nursed a loved one who is very ill, we have a chance to begin to prepare for their loss -- at least a little. However, the unexpected death of a loved one - regardless of how that loved one dies - can leave us stunned, lost, and overwhelmed with pain. We may not know where to begin to cope.

Sudden loss gives us no chance to prepare. It is not unusual that we feel cheated by a sudden death, cheated of a chance to say the last words we would have liked to say or to do some last act that would have had meaning to us-like a hug, a kiss, a walk hand in hand. Missing out from having a way of saying some kind of good-bye can leave us feeling especially bereft for weeks or even months. Feeling cheated in this way can add to our grief, anguish and despair.

Besides our feeling cheated by it, sudden loss can make the world feel shaky or less safe. This is a natural response to any unexpected and traumatic event. When we feel as if someone we love is suddenly "yanked" out of our lives, we are left feeling that the world isn't a safe place. We may then become fearful and uncertain, or angry and frustrated. This loss can negatively color our view of life, but hopefully only temporarily.

When we face a sudden loss, all at once we have three overwhelming tasks to deal with: Our grief over the loss of our loved one, the absence of this special person from our daily lives, and the changes in our lives that are caused by this loss. Each is a big task to take on, and each will become a part of our mourning and healing process.

Although it may be hard to imagine at the moment, we must remember that people do recover from sudden losses, and that we too can ultimately move through this terrible pain and begin to heal.

It helps to bear in mind that emotional pain isn't constant, and that we don't have to grieve forever. We will love forever, whether our loved ones are with us in body or not, but we do not need to grieve to honor that love. We can just love.

In talking to many people who have suffered sudden loss, I have learned that there are several important, possibly universal, ways to help yourself heal:

Love yourself and take special care of yourself through your grief.

Do your mourning now. Being strong and brave is important, but I always tell those I counsel to never miss an opportunity to cry. That is not self-indulgent, but simply sensible and honest in dealing with your emotions.

Expressing your feelings will help you heal, as feelings expressed disappear. Feelings repressed don't. So give vent to your feelings.

Get support from other people-counselors and support groups like widow's groups, bereavement groups, compassionate friends, or suicide survivors. You may find them through a hospice, your church, or a community or social service agency.

You will not only help yourself, but you may also help another and that can be a great source of strength, joy and recovery.

And, most of all, trust that the person you loved and lost would want you to recover from losing them, and would want you to remember and honor them by living a fulfilling life."

"I'm a jerk to everyone. Best way to protect yourself from lawsuits." - David Hoselton

***

Love in the Time of Darwinism

"[The single young male {SYM} is] angry because he thinks that young women are dishonest, self-involved, slutty, manipulative, shallow, controlling, and gold-digging. He’s angry because he thinks that the culture disses all things male. He’s angry because he thinks that marriage these days is a raw deal for men...

SYMs of the postfeminist era are moving around in a Babel of miscues, cross-purposes, and half-conscious, contradictory female expectations that are alternately proudly egalitarian and coyly traditional... when an SYM walks into a bar and sees an attractive woman, it turns out to be nothing like that. The woman may be hoping for a hookup, but she may also be looking for a husband, a co-parent, a sperm donor, a relationship, a threesome, or a temporary place to live. She may want one thing in November and another by Christmas...

Young men face a bewildering multiplicity of female expectations and desire. Some women are comfortable asking, “What’s your name again?” when they look across the pillow in the morning. But plenty of others are looking for Mr. Darcy...

The cultural muddle is at its greatest when the dinner check arrives. The question of who grabs it is a subject of endless discussion on the hundreds of Internet dating sites. The general consensus among women is that a guy should pay on a first date: they see it as a way for him to demonstrate interest. Many men agree, but others find the presumption confusing. Aren’t the sexes equal? In fact, at this stage in their lives, women may well be in a better position to pick up the tab: according to a 2005 study by Queens College demographer Andrew Beveridge, college-educated women working full-time are earning more than their male counterparts in a number of cities, including New York, Chicago, Boston, and Minneapolis.

Sure, girls can—and do—ask guys out for dinner and pick up the check without missing a beat. But that doesn’t clarify matters, men complain. Women can take a Chinese-menu approach to gender roles. They can be all “Let me pay for the movie tickets” on Friday night and “A single rose? That’s it?” on Valentine’s Day. This isn’t equality, say the male-contents; it’s a ratification of female privilege and, worse, caprice. “Women seemingly have decided that they want it all (and deserve it, too),” Kevin from Ann Arbor writes. “They want to compete equally, and have the privileges of their mother’s generation. They want the executive position, AND the ability to stay home with children and come back into the workplace at or beyond the position at which they left. They want the bad boy and the metrosexual.”...

Adding to the bitterness of many SYMs is the feeling that the entire culture is a you-go-girl cheering section. When our guy was a boy, the media prattled on about “girl power,” parents took their daughters to work, and a mysterious plague seemed to have killed off boys, at least white ones, from school textbooks. To this day, male-bashing is the lingua franca of situation comedies and advertising: take the dimwitted television dads from Homer Simpson to Ray Romano to Tim Allen, or the guy who starts a cooking fire to be put out by his multitasking wife, who is already ordering takeout. Further, it’s hard to overstate the distrust of young men who witnessed divorce up close and personal as they were growing up. Not only have they become understandably wary of till-death-do-us-part promises; they frequently suspect that women are highway robbers out to relieve men of their earnings, children, and deepest affections...

"If women can be hedonistic and change the rules in midstream when it suits them, why shouldn’t men? Why should men be responsible when women refuse to look into the mirror at their own lack of accountability?"...

[On the Pickup/Seduction community and emotionally manipulating women] Men are convinced that they are no worse—and probably a good deal better—than women in making these calculations. With good Darwinian logic, though, they believe that women tend to do their reckoning on the basis of wallet size rather than pulchritude. “Girls are really good at that kind of math,” one jaded twentysomething man writes to me about his entry-level salary. In a review of the movie Sex and the City, the English author Toby Young remembers the five years he had lived in New York: “Attractive single girls not only dropped their ‘dates’ at the slightest whiff of a bigger, better deal, they routinely betrayed their girlfriends, too.”...

It would be easy enough to write off the dating Darwinists as simple renegades against female empowerment. Easy, but misleading. Menaissance men think that women’s equality has brought real benefits, though they might not agree with women about what those benefits are. “We can have sex with as many women as we want and not have to worry about making any of them pregnant”...

"This is a worldwide phenomenon. The behavior of men is simply a response (which is actually a quite logical one) to the changing behavior of women. Simply put, men are a breeding experiment run by women.""

"One of the serious obstacles to the improvement of our race is indiscriminate charity." - Andrew Carnegie

***

Me: "U LOOK DAMN PSYCHOTIC...
with ur face looking all contented and satisfied

LOL"

MFTTW: no what the *** photo is quite nice

must be some girl that made that comment
only girls think so deeply about the inner meaning of photographs


Me: do you have a long term plan

Someone: um

well let's see, i want to get married by 30, have kids, and then cook meals for my husband everyday

no, not really. other than, eventually opening up my own shop/business, i don't really know

i'm graduating with a BA in English!


Someone else: I'd rather keep the SG citizenship since I paid for it with 2 years of my life

Me: that's irrational
sunk costs should be ignored
­
you're like an abused wife who's been raped by her husband
"since he's already made me suffer I should stay with him"


Me: "dreams are like rainbows: only idiots chase them"

Someone: oh well

then again
if you don't chase rainbows

what's left?

Me: paying the bills
HAHAHAHAHAHA

Someone: wow
that's.. inspirational

now let me see how many bills i have left unpaid


HWMNBN: "While figures on the nationalities of foreign spouses are unavailable,/ The Sunday Times/ understands that Malaysians form the bulk"

So much for your fellow countrymen's constant griping.

Me: I know, 40% of marriages is a lot right

But think about it. Singaporean women don't marry Malaysian men, only vice versa

Hurr hurr

HWMNBN: Which is more a damning indictment of Singaporean women than Malaysian
men.
ie. Malaysian men don't want Singaporean women (we have plenty of good stock back home) Singaporean men ALSO don't want Singaporean women (although the
feeling seems mutual in this case)

I probably would have better luck in Malaysia, if it weren't for the short-term unfeasibility of going back.

Although on re-reading, there's nothing in that article that indicates whether the majority of the Malaysians being tricked and seduced by vile married to Singaporeans are male or female

Me: Because Malaysian men are losers too =D

No there isn't but from other sources of information we know Malaysian men don't marry Singaporean women.

HWMNBN: *thoughtfully* I'm not too sure about that. Anecdotally I have more experience and knowledge of Malaysian men + Singaporean women couples than the other way arond, actually (particularly from my father's generation).

To sum up the problem:
a) we know 40% of marriages are to foreigners (but we don't know how many are male singaporeans marrying out or female marrying out)

b) I would assume more female singaporeans are marrying overseas actually vis-a-vis males, from anecdotal and empirical experience (if nothing else, in light of there being less males in singapore (0.96 male/female if i recall correctly from the 2005 census), so from a strictly proportional perspective there should be a larger absolute number of female singaporeans marrying male malaysians.

c) It would make sense also in light of the facts that there is would be some self-selection; a Malaysian male who makes it out to Singapore is likely to be more driving, competitive and successful (probably better socio-economic background, although there might be some Johor-effect biasing the overall distribution) than normal guys, and yet possessed of all the Malaysian virtues of charity, hope and basic human decency so lacking in your kind.

d) A Malaysian woman who makes it to Singapore can pretty damn easily find a Malaysian man in Singapore possessed of more desirable qualities than the local scum (see reason (c) (I actually know far more m'sia-m'sia couples in singapore than m'sia-s'pore couples)

Bottom line, if we believe more Singaporean females are marrying overseas than Singaporean males, and the bulk of their partners are Malaysian as per the article, in all likelihood there should be more Singaporean females + Malaysian male pairings vis-a-vis the other way around. Unless there are far more Singaporean males marrying overseas than Singaporean females, and the China/Vietnam option only remaining a small minority (which I doubt, it's makes just too much economic sense to import from China & Vietnam, if you're the sort to go looking for matchmaking anyway)

Okay I wasted a lot of productive brain cells on the above.

Actually I just realised this is good for Singaporean women - it indicates it's not so much the SPG factor, but the "Singaporean men are scum" factor. It's also counter-intuitive; in hindsight I would have assumed the reverse is true until before (assuming like you did that most Singaporean women wouldn't marry Malaysian men).

A good example of empirical data (although we need a gender breakdown to be absolutely sure) overturning long-held fallacious assumptions!


Someone: 'biophysically' i prefer chinese/jap/korean

Me: what biophysically
is there another physical form

Someone: biologically
and physically
haha

Me: physically. why biologically
unless you mean you like asian pancreases

Someone: physically is also biologically what

Me: ............


MFTTW: hurr hurr
there is hardly any nutrition in the veges that ang mohs eat raw

lettuce is all water

Me: iceberg only
romaine isnt

iceberg is 70% [water]
it's also cheap haha

MFTTW: iceberg is gross

romaine is not bad but you have to soak it in dressing hurr hurr
it actually tastes better cooked, too hahaha

yeah i had grilled romaine at this restaurant
it was really good

Me: grilled romaine? o_0

eh grad students very poor
where got money to go restaurant
red lobster ah

MFTTW: ...

http://www.ansillfoodandwine.com/
it was here

GRILLED ROMAINE
anchovy vinaigrette

not that expensive

and anyway
i spend a lot of money on food
not so much on other things

Me: romantic dinner ah

so you wear patched up clothes
drive a car that breaks down
don't turn on the heating in winter
and don't use protection when you have sex. oh wait...

MFTTW: ...

SMACK
i do none of those things

Me: "Our menu features a wide variety of European small plates and is designed to encourage sampling" -> atas

come come I grill iceberg for you
serve with... ikan bilis

wah romaine hearts
very good
how many heads of lettuce must you use to get enough

I shall buy romaine lettuce
make you eat the leaves
and save the hearts to make grilled romaine

Oh, how I miss you, baby
Oh, how I miss you, baby
Listen to me

It's only been three weeks ago
But it seems like years
And it's getting sort of hard
To see through tears

'Cause now you're gone
And I know for myself
That I can't find happiness
With nobody else

Oh, how I miss you, baby
Oh, how I miss you, baby
Listen to me

I find myself calling out your name
In the middle of the night
And I still hear you saying, darling
No, no, two wrongs don't make it right

... I wanna say sorry
Oh, but it ain't a strong enough word
For once in my life I'm so sincere
And I mean every word

I listen to what my friends had to say
But ooh, they messed me up again
'Cause I haven't seen a good day, baby
Since you know when

I never thought it could ever
Affect me this way
But I'm drownin' in a sea of misery
And all I can think of to say

Oh, how I miss you, baby
Oh, how I miss you, baby

I've got to keep on singing
Oh, how I miss you, baby
I swear, I swear

"Riches do not delight us so much with their possession, as torment us with their loss." - Dick Gregory

***

Campaign Against Political Correctness - "I am a muslim who has lived in Scotland all my life, my parents came here in 1980 and I think of myself as Scottish, however the PC brigade are making me feel guilty for being here as it is because of immigrants like my parents that the majority of this insane political correctness has come about. My son is in primary 2 and his class put on a ''winter festival'' show, I was the only non-white in the audience and felt so self conscious I went home and cried for hours, I felt responsible for the lack of traditional nativity and Christian celebrations. I think the PC idiots need to rethink their agendas."

Hate mail for 'racist' Enid Blyton shop owner who started to stock golliwogs - "She said she has sold more than 500 in the last six months to customers of varying ages and ethnic backgrounds... Miss Endecott, who is of Indian origin and suffered racism as a child, added: 'There is plenty of real racism to get worked up about than to argue over the merits of a soft toy. 'I suffered real racism at school so I don't need any lessons on it.'... 'Four people may have complained but 500 people have bought them, so I would err on the side of democracy.'... Two years ago police seized the toys from a gift shop in Bromyard, Herefordshire, under section five of the Public Order Act, which makes it an offence to display material which could be deemed threatening, abusive or insulting."

Sex Sells, But Is Wall Street Buying? - "Is your portfolio in need of a little action? Then you could end up getting lucky. The world's first adult entertainment industry investments firm wants to give investors more...ahem...bang for their buck."

Ads of the weird - These are all quite bizarre. Why can't we have ads like these?!

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are | The Onion - Hahahahahaha.
"Dow Jones plunges on news of Dow Jones plunge" is also great

How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You

ACJC girl gets tied up and tortured… by friends “celebrating” her birthday - "When she started crying… they smashed her face with cakes and poured milk over her head. Quite a few times, her PE shorts was exposed in the struggle as her skirt was tugged upwards. When she said she cannot see because the grue got in her eyes, they poured water over her and threw more icky foodstuff at her face."
Wah, ACJC BDSM. They make a convincing show that it's torture. Maybe it's like BDSM in more ways than one - the 'victims' look unwilling and in pain but are actually enjoying it, so you need a safe word. Or it's Stockholm Syndrome and they have learnt to enjoy their suffering. Either way there's something really wrong with the school

REFERENCES EXAMINING ASSAULTS BY WOMEN ON THEIR SPOUSES OR MALE PARTNERS: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY - "This bibliography examines 246 scholarly investigations: 187 empirical studies and 59 reviews and/or analyses, which demonstrate that women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their spouses or male partners. The aggregate sample size in the reviewed studies exceeds 237,750."

6 Star Escort - "At 6 Star Escort, Malaysia's most innovative and sought after escort agency, we make your dreams come true. That's right it is all about you and your fantasies. We are known for our transparency, creativity and service. We believe in equal treatment and display our prices openly regardless whether the potential client is a local or foreigner. There are no hidden costs and our rates among the lowest in town. Our rates are often used as a benchmark for escort services in Kuala Lumpur. Our product range is second to none whereby we offer packages you won't find elsewhere. With our affordable prices, spectacular range and great service we are undoubtedly a class above the rest hence when you need to pamper yourself or your clients deal ONLY with the best in the industry. Until you've called upon us, you have yet to experience sexual satisfaction."
This sounds very dodgy. And they offer underaged wth

China's farmers cultivate sport at 'peasant olympics' - "With baskets full of fake rice seedlings dangling from either side of the pole, she sprints down a track, then halts to "plant" each one in a simulated paddy field in one of the more bizarre races ever held in a large stadium."

The Food Miles Mistake: Saving the planet by eating New Zealand apples - "Economic geographer Pierre Desrochers and economic consultant Hiroko Shimizu challenge the notion that food miles are a good sustainability indicator... Food miles advocates fail to grasp the simple idea that food should be grown where it is most economically advantageous to do so... Transporting food is just one relatively small cost of providing modern consumers with their daily bread, meat, cheese, and veggies. Desrochers and Shimizu argue that concentrating agricultural production in the most favorable regions is the best way to minimize human impacts on the environment... Local food production does not always produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the 2005 DEFRA study found that British tomato growers emit 2.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide for each ton of tomatoes grown compared to 0.6 tons of carbon dioxide for each ton of Spanish tomatoes... A die-hard response to the above studies would be... spend more time and effort finding, growing, and preparing food at the expense of other productive or leisure activities... The food miles campaign is "providing a new set of rhetorical tools to bolster protectionist interests that are fundamentally detrimental to most of humankind.""

Capsaicin consumption, Helicobacter pylori positivity and gastric cancer in Mexico - "Gastric cancer (GC) incidence has not declined in Mexico. We assessed whether the intake of capsaicin (CAP), the pungent compound of chili peppers, increases the risk of GC independently of H. pylori positivity (Hp)... The risk of GC was increased (OR = 1.71; 95% CI = 0.76-3.88) among high-level consumers of CAP (90-250 mg of capsaicin per day, approximately 9-25 jalapeño peppers per day) as compared to low-level consumers (0-29.9 mg of capsaicin per day, approximately 0 to less than 3 jalapeño peppers per day; p for trend p = 0.026); this effect was independent of Hp status and other potential GC determinants... Chili pepper consumption might be an independent determinant of GC in Mexico."

Bob Geldof charged $100k to speak in Melbourne at Diversity@Work awards - "Geldof, 54, spoke about the tragedy of Third World poverty and the failure of governments to combat the crisis, at a Crown casino function on Thursday night. But the Herald Sun can reveal the outspoken human rights activist charged about $100,000 for his trouble - a speaker's fee that included the cost of luxury hotel rooms and first-class airfares. Fellow activist and World Vision CEO the Rev Tim Costello spoke for free."

Carl Sagan: The Dragon In My Garage - "Now, what's the difference between an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire and no dragon at all? If there's no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? Your inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true. Claims that cannot be tested, assertions immune to disproof are veridically worthless, whatever value they may have in inspiring us or in exciting our sense of wonder. What I'm asking you to do comes down to believing, in the absence of evidence, on my say-so. The only thing you've really learned from my insistence that there's a dragon in my garage is that something funny is going on inside my head."

Islamic Theologian’s Theory: It’s Likely the Prophet Muhammad Never Existed - "Muhammad Sven Kalisch, a Muslim convert and Germany’s first professor of Islamic theology, fasts during the Muslim holy month, doesn’t like to shake hands with Muslim women and has spent years studying Islamic scripture. Islam, he says, guides his life. So it came as something of a surprise when Prof. Kalisch announced the fruit of his theological research. His conclusion: The Prophet Muhammad probably never existed. Muslims, not surprisingly, are outraged... German police, worried about a violent backlash, told the professor to move his religious-studies center to more-secure premises... When Prof. Kalisch took up his theology chair four years ago, he was seen as proof that modern Western scholarship and Islamic ways can mingle — and counter the influence of radical preachers in Germany. He was put in charge of a new program at Münster, one of Germany’s oldest and most respected universities, to train teachers in state schools to teach Muslim pupils about their faith. Muslim leaders cheered and joined an advisory board at his Center for Religious Studies. Politicians hailed the appointment as a sign of Germany’s readiness to absorb some three million Muslims into mainstream society... To him, what matters isn’t whether Muhammad actually lived but the philosophy presented in his name."

Simon Pegg on why the undead should never be allowed to run - "I know it is absurd to debate the rules of a reality that does not exist, but this genuinely irks me. You cannot kill a vampire with an MDF stake; werewolves can't fly; zombies do not run. It's a misconception, a bastardisation that diminishes a classic movie monster. The best phantasmagoria uses reality to render the inconceivable conceivable. The speedy zombie seems implausible to me, even within the fantastic realm it inhabits... The fast zombie is bereft of poetic subtlety. As monsters from the id, zombies win out over vampires and werewolves when it comes to the title of Most Potent Metaphorical Monster. Where their pointy-toothed cousins are all about sex and bestial savagery, the zombie trumps all by personifying our deepest fear: death. Zombies are our destiny writ large. Slow and steady in their approach, weak, clumsy, often absurd, the zombie relentlessly closes in, unstoppable, intractable."

Sex please! (we're French): Paris's dirty secret - "The erotification, or pornification of the internet was inevitable, one learns. Every previous technological or literary advance in human communication from the printing press, to the novel, to the lithograph, to the photograph, to the cinema has been hijacked by the human (or is it mostly a male?) compulsion to meditate, or drool, over our sexuality. Even established writers or artists also, secretly wrote dirty stories or drew dirty pictures out of the act of lovemaking. The exhibition includes examples from the poet Charles Baudelaire and the surrealist artist, Man Ray... The exhibition reveals some interesting, historical differences in erotic tastes. The earliest, 17th and 18th century, material dwells on the straightforward pleasures of the flesh. The celebration of the pleasures of pain imposed or submitted begins with the Marquis of Sade in the late 18th century. Pornography from the French Revolutionary period is mostly political... 'You find the same images and themes, the same fixation with male and female genitalia, the same interest in unusual ways of performing acts of sex. In the end you become dulled by it all or you just laugh.'"

The Omnivore’s Hundred - "Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all."

Top 5 Windows 7 features Apple should copy - "Many Mac OS X "innovations" are borrowed from the open-source community. Expose windows manager? Borrowed from a long list of Linux UI add-ons. Spaces? Linux has had virtual desktops for years. Windows 7 came out of almost nowhere with some new features we believe Apple not only should take serious, but integrate in OS X as well."

"Cunctando regitur mundus"

Me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasians_in_Singapore - shepherd's pie is a eurasian dish???????

Gabriel: "Foods commonly associated with Eurasian culinary traditions" not "Eurasian dishes"

Me: chapati is a food associated with Indian culinary tradition
nasi lemak is a food associated with Malay culinary tradition
char siew is a food associated with Chinese culinary tradition
It would take a humongous stretch to put shepherd's pie in the same category.

Gabriel: "Today, Eurasians use tamarind, lemongrass, lime and galangal to create exotic curries, sambal, soups and vegetable dishes. Occasionally they use alcohol to add body to meat and fish dishes. From the Peranakans they acquired a taste for sweet-and-sour dishes along with the art of chopping vegetables, which they stirfry the Chinese way. Signature Eurasian dishes include curry debal (devil’s curry: spicy Eurasian meat curry; see the recipe) and feng (pork curry; a Christmas speciality that is best eaten a day old), as well as European conventions such as chicken pie, corned beef cutlets and shepherd’s pie."
--- World Food: Malaysia and Singapore / Tan Su-Lyn, Mark Tay

Me: based on that last sentence, bread and potatoes are also part of the Eurasian culinary cuisine.

Gabriel: How about Borscht soup and Hong Kong?
In the same way that Rice is part of the Chinese culinary tradition
Just because rice is part of the Chinese culinary tradition doesn't mean it's not also part of the Indian culinary tradition

[HK coffee shops have a tendency to sell rebadged, watery minestrone as "Borscht soup" here. It apparently dates back to a "Western diner" fad in the late 70s / early 80s]

Me: hk people would recognise borscht soup as part of their [bastard] culinary tradition no eurasian would recognise shepherd's pie as "eurasian" culinary tradition
NO ONE ASSOCIATES SHEPHERD PIE WITH EURASIANS.

I can acknowledge how rice would be recognisable as part of Chinese and Indian culinary tradition. I [still] fail to see how shepherd's pie is Eurasian culinary tradition.
British culinary tradition, yes. Eurasian???

Hell, borscht soup in the HK context is arguably more Eurasian culinary tradition than shepherd's pie.

"War kills men, and men deplore the loss; but war also crushes bad principles and tyrants, and so saves societies." - Colton

***

Zomb-out 2008
15th November 2008

Total turnout: 3 zombies, 1 necromancer, a horde of supporters (I was going to take part until my tragedy scuppered my plans. Oh well).

Well, it's a start!



The 'early' crowd


Before we got chased out of Raffles City


Making up and waiting for latecomers (no late zombies, boo!)


2 zombies in inanimate mode


Scaring Raffles City shoppers

Before reanimation:


One


Two


Three




Getting to their feet




Shambling


Zombie on phone




Pawing at passers-by


Zombie after banging into MRT sign


Moving out


The horde makes its way down the escalator into Citylink


Down the escalator






Moving up the stairs




Dragging a fallen comrade


Rictus

After this point blip.tv suddenly refused to accept new videos, so I was forced to go back to YouTube. Ugh.




Enming - the only victim




Terrorising book-lovers












Even railings are no match for the Horde


Terrorising schoolgirls




Scaring a kid, and Enming does a weird dance


Moving out of Citylink


At the head of an escalator






Tackling the escalator




3/4 group shot at Suntec City


Impromptu souvenir shot with lady




Terrorising diners in some place


Resting from the exertions upon their reknitted sinews


But always ready to leap for manflesh




Bemused security




Terrorising counter staff




The Nooseman


Terrorising the security


Amused security


PRC girl




KO at the end


KO with Necromancer


Getting up


Group shot with supporters


Pile


Zombie eating Carl's Jr


AAR (After Action Review):

Generally the event was successful, though I heard one passer-by remarking that Halloween was over, and another that "我要打他们" ("I want to hit them"); next year should see a better turnout since it's already been done once (unlikely to be Toronto's 3,000 though!)

Holding it indoors was a good idea due to the weather.

The fake blood was good, if a bit watery.

Although we were chased out by Raffles City security, we didn't have any other issues with the management of the places.

Suggestions for next year:

Date
- Do it around Halloween

Pre-event
- Publicise it with SMS forwards
- Don't change the date
- Don't have Facebook discussions alone: a pre-event meetup is good to know other participants
- Have a pre-event for publicity
- Provide makeup guide as well as a making fake blood guide

Preparation and forming up
- Organiser should not be late waiting for participants at rendezvous point
- Organiser should give everyone his contact number
- Organiser could provide free $5 shirts (maybe from the Salvation Army) for zombie costumes (you see one zombie wearing such a shirt)
- More props: sausages as intestines?
- The route was just right, but the route needs to be very clear beforehand

Execution
- Have more victims to increase the atmosphere. This year we had essentially only one real victim, but as I pointed out victims have to be willing to get dirty (fake blood etc) and if they are, they'll be zombies
- In a larger group, have minders to keep track of where the zombies are, keep stragglers enroute etc