"They always talk who never think." - Matthew Prior
***
Quotes:
I came from Cedar. Like half the people were butches.
This official... When the King became older he turned to the Ws. Wine and Women... The official was very sad. He moved to the mountain... He threw himself from the mountain to the river. I thought he was talking about the Dumpling Man... There are a lot of this kind f people [in Chinese history]... After you listen to this sort of story, you also want to fight for your country.
Gabbie, I miss your thingy. [Me: Err] Your handkerchief
G spot... Goal post
Now we're gambling [Someone: Gambling is at least $2 {in bets} one]
[Me to a female friend: Paizuri is something you can't do] Is it gay sex? [Me: No] Does it involve a penis? [Me: No. Paizuri is titty-fucking] [Someone: What's that?] [Me: You're better off not knowing]
He told his sister he had a friend getting married during Christmas [so he couldn't travel]. I was so touched. I went home and told my mother
[To a guy] Did you cut your hair? I wouldn't say it if you were a girl, but I think it looked better before. [Me: Women don't appreciate honesty] It's called tact.
[On someone's knowing what a fascinator is] How do you know this sort of things? [Me: That's usually the sort of thing people tell me] (thing)
Hi. [Me: You look like an Ah Lian] What an opener.
[On why he runs away] This is my thought process. If a girl likes me, then there must be something really fucked up with her mind.
[On the Lady Shri Ram College] LSR is a girls' school. So when you search for pictures on Google you get a lot of funny things.
[Me: How do you know 'creampie' ah?] [20 year old girl] General knowledge lah!
[Me: Does she have a beau already?] *Incomprehension* [Me: A paramour?] *Continued incomprehension* [Me: A romantic interest?] *Comprehension*
[On a Jap girl] She walks like a local girl... [Me: How do Japanese girls walk? More demurely.
Your greatest responsibility in life is to make things better for your kids than they were for you
See, that's the problem with being a guy. You don't even know what a girl means when she says 'no' these days
[Me: Why is playwriting under EN and not TS?] I don't know. Because Theatre people are shit.
I should have worn heels... This skirt need heels. It's too long. [Me: Then short skirt no need heels?] Short skirt plus heels is skanky. Your parents never teach you ah?
[Me: Are you going to pay me back on the spot?] Yeah. But not in cash... [Me: Then in services?]
Most girls don't have any sort of career ambitions... Most of my friends just want to get married and be happy
Filipino girls will do anything in bed. That's why all the Caucasian men -
[Me: I am bigger than you] Confirmed. [Me: You used to be bigger] That was in uni. Then I lost a lot of weight. I'm sorry. [Me: Why're you apologising to me?] I don't know
没有男的 in our group. 好的 taken 了. 烂的不见了.
[On his wedding] We're inviting mostly students, so we don't expect angbaos [Someone: Thanks for the hint]
No Lady Gaga on a wedding day.
There're only 3 guys [who're going to be there] [Me: Men like women, women like women] Nobody likes guys
[Me: I told people, the next time, racial harmony day, I'll come in a loincloth] No, you're not wearing a loincloth to our wedding
[On a SMS] 'How to say "happy birthday" in German' [Someone: Can't he Google it] [Me: Why don't you give him {the words for] 'fuck you']
Just had dessert, eat sambal?
[Someone on advocado being expensive: Why don't you ask your parents to bring some?] My parents' bag is reserved for instant noodles [Me: These Indonesians]
From her side, almost all of them are vegetarian... These food scientists
I'm starting to realise that all the eligible guys are either attached or married [Me: As a good economist you should know that markets tend to clear]
I met 2 pickpockets... [Someone: You said hi?]
[Me: You know that TWG is a scam right] It's a Singapore brand [Me: That's not why it's a scam]
[Me] The best gift you can give to your child - American citizenship
Did you have dinner? [Someone: I had salad] I'm sorry, that doesn't count as dinner
[Me: Is it true brown sugar is sweeter?] I don't go for minahs. [Me: Black sugar? White sugar?...] Girls outside Singapore are more mature... [In Singapore] whine whine whine
[On 'The Secret' Meetup] There are a lot of cheap lays... [Someone: You just have to tell them - 'yesterday I was thinking about...']
You're just trying to be a nice guy [Someone: I don't have to try. I am a nice guy]
You want tea?... You can have mine [Me: I do not feel like exchanging bodily fluids today] Let me know when you do
I think Frigid Girl is very interesting. Because she is so Frigid
I actually have a greater respect for New Media papers than Sociology papers. Anybody on the street can write a Sociology paper.
There's a reason it's called the Political Science department. It's all about politics.
You can hear us push
Through the deepest bush
With a military air!
Monday, June 07, 2010
More proof that Comment is free - because a lot of it is crap
"Love has no place in a lawyer's office." - Elizabeth Aston
***
By Singapore's high commissioner to the court of St. James's:
Singapore's policy keeps drugs at bay | Michael Teo | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
The content is the usual expected party line, but here are some comments (from the first 50, at any rate):
russellhiggs: This article talks a lot about drug abusers. But what about all the drug users? The millions of ordinary people who simply enjoy choosing to chemically alter their consciousness with no problems.
AllyF: One model of society is a free, humane, civilised, liberal society, with consequences that include drug use and addition. Another model of society is a brutally repressive, micromanaged, stifling culture in which every transgression from an imposed norm of behaviour is criminalised and punished.
I despise this article and everything it represents.
Catch33: "Keep away from drugs, they're really harmful. It's for your own good".
"Or we'll murder you"
JimPress: This is staggeringly inappropriate. You might as well have Kim Jong-il boasting about the lack of crime in North Korea or Than Shwe telling us about the Burmese junta's robust line on shoplifting. Vile.
danjam: The UK has a cannabis usage of 8.2% and the Netherlands has a cannabis usage of 5.4%. The USA is around 12%. Maybe it's time for some sensible thinking.
Plutonian: Jesus H Christ - what the fuck is this article doing in the Guardian?
Mahoganyrush: Well Mr Teo, until you also include alcohol and tobacco (the two biggest killer drugs by far) in your drug policy with the same harsh punishment I can only accuse you of blatant stinking hypocrisy.
Chewtoy: Singapore is an anagram for Prison Age.
And one on the methodology Singapore uses to claim that drug abuse here is very low:
PGallahue: In his response to our original commentary of 18 May, Mr Teo makes a number of claims that warrant a response.
Mr Teo states that ‘Singapore has one of the lowest prevalence of drug abuse worldwide’. Singapore often makes this claim to justify its harsh drug laws. However the government does not make available any reliable data on drug use in country, making this statement impossible to be independently tested.
Earlier this year, the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use found Singapore to be one of the only countries in Asia that did not have reliable data on rates of drug injecting among its population. When our organisation, the International Harm Reduction Association, compiled the Global State of Harm Reduction report, we likewise were unable to find any reliable data on drug injecting in the country.
In place of independently verifiable data, Mr Teo cites information found in the World Drug Report 2008, published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). However, rather than being independently produced, the estimates he refers to were provided by the government of Singapore itself.
As described by UNODC, its ‘Report is based on data obtained primarily from the annual reports questionnaire (ARQ) sent by Governments to UNODC’. Therefore, when Mr Teo cites the World Drug Report, he is in fact only citing the official data provided by the government of Singapore itself, rather than data independently produced by the UN. Indeed, UNODC admits that the vast disparity in data quality and collection methods between countries makes comparisons between countries of little value.
If in fact the evidence supported Mr Teo’s claims, we would suspect that the government would publish it. Their failure to do so certainly creates reasonable doubts as to the veracity of such claims, and whether they represent anything more than political ‘spin’ to try and justify a controversial and likely ineffectual policy.
Furthermore, Mr. Teo argues that the death penalty for certain drug offences does not contravene international law. This statement is at odds with the vast majority of United Nations bodies tasked with interpreting international law – including the UN Human Rights Committee, the Special Rapporteurs on torture and extrajudicial executions, among others.
While he cites the 46 countries that voted against the Moratorium on the Death Penalty in the UN General Assembly, that resolution applied to all crimes, including premeditated murder and terrorist offences. It was not a referendum on the mandatory death penalty for drug offences. In any case, the Moratorium was passed not once but twice by the UN General Assembly despite the objections of these countries.
Of those states that retain the death penalty in law, only 32 do so for drugs and most of those do not actually carry out such penalties, much less make capital punishment mandatory. Only about five percent of the world’s countries make impose mandatory capital punishment for drugs in both law and practice. As stated in our original commentary, in this sense Singapore is clearly on the fringe of international death penalty policy.
Finally Mr Teo also raises the issue of deterrence as a justification. However, in the Yong Vui Kong decision the court admitted that it would not be able to assess its effectiveness in preventing drug crimes. The Court of Appeals wrote, ‘It is not within the purview of this court to determine the efficacy or otherwise of the [mandatory death penalty] as a deterrent vis-à-vis the offence of drug trafficking.’ The court cited precedent for this position. In Ong Ah Chuan decision the Privy Council said, ‘Their Lordships would emphasise that in their judicial capacity they are in no way concerned with arguments for or against capital punishment or its efficacy as a deterrent to so evil and profitable a crime as trafficking in addictive drugs.’
Thus deterrence as a legal justification for the mandatory death penalty rings somewhat hollow.
In any case, the government of Singapore fails to publish detailed crime data, and data on executions it carries out, makes Mr Teo’s claims about the effectiveness of its policies impossible to test independently. In fact, drug offences of any kind are conspicuously absent from Singapore's official crime data. Given that Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau regularly reports on major trafficking arrests on its website, this seems an odd omission.
As a result, the offence for which Yong Vui Kong has been sentenced to death does not appear as a crime in Singapore's crime statistics for the year of his arrest (or if it does it is hidden elsewhere, and not recorded as a drug offence).
Patrick Gallahue & Rick Lines
***
By Singapore's high commissioner to the court of St. James's:
Singapore's policy keeps drugs at bay | Michael Teo | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
The content is the usual expected party line, but here are some comments (from the first 50, at any rate):
russellhiggs: This article talks a lot about drug abusers. But what about all the drug users? The millions of ordinary people who simply enjoy choosing to chemically alter their consciousness with no problems.
AllyF: One model of society is a free, humane, civilised, liberal society, with consequences that include drug use and addition. Another model of society is a brutally repressive, micromanaged, stifling culture in which every transgression from an imposed norm of behaviour is criminalised and punished.
I despise this article and everything it represents.
Catch33: "Keep away from drugs, they're really harmful. It's for your own good".
"Or we'll murder you"
JimPress: This is staggeringly inappropriate. You might as well have Kim Jong-il boasting about the lack of crime in North Korea or Than Shwe telling us about the Burmese junta's robust line on shoplifting. Vile.
danjam: The UK has a cannabis usage of 8.2% and the Netherlands has a cannabis usage of 5.4%. The USA is around 12%. Maybe it's time for some sensible thinking.
Plutonian: Jesus H Christ - what the fuck is this article doing in the Guardian?
Mahoganyrush: Well Mr Teo, until you also include alcohol and tobacco (the two biggest killer drugs by far) in your drug policy with the same harsh punishment I can only accuse you of blatant stinking hypocrisy.
Chewtoy: Singapore is an anagram for Prison Age.
And one on the methodology Singapore uses to claim that drug abuse here is very low:
PGallahue: In his response to our original commentary of 18 May, Mr Teo makes a number of claims that warrant a response.
Mr Teo states that ‘Singapore has one of the lowest prevalence of drug abuse worldwide’. Singapore often makes this claim to justify its harsh drug laws. However the government does not make available any reliable data on drug use in country, making this statement impossible to be independently tested.
Earlier this year, the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use found Singapore to be one of the only countries in Asia that did not have reliable data on rates of drug injecting among its population. When our organisation, the International Harm Reduction Association, compiled the Global State of Harm Reduction report, we likewise were unable to find any reliable data on drug injecting in the country.
In place of independently verifiable data, Mr Teo cites information found in the World Drug Report 2008, published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). However, rather than being independently produced, the estimates he refers to were provided by the government of Singapore itself.
As described by UNODC, its ‘Report is based on data obtained primarily from the annual reports questionnaire (ARQ) sent by Governments to UNODC’. Therefore, when Mr Teo cites the World Drug Report, he is in fact only citing the official data provided by the government of Singapore itself, rather than data independently produced by the UN. Indeed, UNODC admits that the vast disparity in data quality and collection methods between countries makes comparisons between countries of little value.
If in fact the evidence supported Mr Teo’s claims, we would suspect that the government would publish it. Their failure to do so certainly creates reasonable doubts as to the veracity of such claims, and whether they represent anything more than political ‘spin’ to try and justify a controversial and likely ineffectual policy.
Furthermore, Mr. Teo argues that the death penalty for certain drug offences does not contravene international law. This statement is at odds with the vast majority of United Nations bodies tasked with interpreting international law – including the UN Human Rights Committee, the Special Rapporteurs on torture and extrajudicial executions, among others.
While he cites the 46 countries that voted against the Moratorium on the Death Penalty in the UN General Assembly, that resolution applied to all crimes, including premeditated murder and terrorist offences. It was not a referendum on the mandatory death penalty for drug offences. In any case, the Moratorium was passed not once but twice by the UN General Assembly despite the objections of these countries.
Of those states that retain the death penalty in law, only 32 do so for drugs and most of those do not actually carry out such penalties, much less make capital punishment mandatory. Only about five percent of the world’s countries make impose mandatory capital punishment for drugs in both law and practice. As stated in our original commentary, in this sense Singapore is clearly on the fringe of international death penalty policy.
Finally Mr Teo also raises the issue of deterrence as a justification. However, in the Yong Vui Kong decision the court admitted that it would not be able to assess its effectiveness in preventing drug crimes. The Court of Appeals wrote, ‘It is not within the purview of this court to determine the efficacy or otherwise of the [mandatory death penalty] as a deterrent vis-à-vis the offence of drug trafficking.’ The court cited precedent for this position. In Ong Ah Chuan decision the Privy Council said, ‘Their Lordships would emphasise that in their judicial capacity they are in no way concerned with arguments for or against capital punishment or its efficacy as a deterrent to so evil and profitable a crime as trafficking in addictive drugs.’
Thus deterrence as a legal justification for the mandatory death penalty rings somewhat hollow.
In any case, the government of Singapore fails to publish detailed crime data, and data on executions it carries out, makes Mr Teo’s claims about the effectiveness of its policies impossible to test independently. In fact, drug offences of any kind are conspicuously absent from Singapore's official crime data. Given that Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau regularly reports on major trafficking arrests on its website, this seems an odd omission.
As a result, the offence for which Yong Vui Kong has been sentenced to death does not appear as a crime in Singapore's crime statistics for the year of his arrest (or if it does it is hidden elsewhere, and not recorded as a drug offence).
Patrick Gallahue & Rick Lines
Post ID: 4815314441645135406
Sunday, June 06, 2010
u r wt u wr - 6th June 2010
"On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time." - George Orwell
***
u r wt u wr:
- 'Men are like lava lamps. Nice to look at, but not very bright'
- 'Little Miss Jail ♥ Bait' (She was in her early 30s)
- 'You are my cup of tea'
- 'So worth it'
- 'I'm alone *lone figure with back to viewer*'
- 'Bikini girls are everywhere... but where are the guys?'
- 'You must be a angel from heaven'
- 'Body glove *something* the core'
- 'I will share my secret'
- 'Hot item'
- 'kiss me! before my boyfriend come back'
- 'Car wash fundraiser... $10... Ask me about our specials"
- 'I ♥ my boyfriend(s)'
- '*something* feel happy, so you'll feel happy'
- 'Easy come easy go'
- 'I am sexy by nature, Naughty by choice'
- 'If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?'
- 'I'd flirt *something* likes you'
- 'Am not evil just plain naughty'
- 'Falling in love. He is my boyfriend'
- 'Girl' (Must she remind people? Herself? Does she have a gender identity crisis?)
- 'Let's hug! ♥ No conflict'
- 'Yes, I'M here'
- 'Irresistible. Delectable'
- 'on't as
st get
ack coff' (She was wearing a jacket blocking the first and last letters of each line)
- 'Just me. Let's get steady'
- 'I can't help it that I'm young, rich and fabulous' (At least it didn't say she was pretty, so I couldn't say the T-shirt was definitely lying)
- '*something* with my friends *something* So cute'
- 'Dickies *many words*'
***
u r wt u wr:
- 'Men are like lava lamps. Nice to look at, but not very bright'
- 'Little Miss Jail ♥ Bait' (She was in her early 30s)
- 'You are my cup of tea'
- 'So worth it'
- 'I'm alone *lone figure with back to viewer*'
- 'Bikini girls are everywhere... but where are the guys?'
- 'You must be a angel from heaven'
- 'Body glove *something* the core'
- 'I will share my secret'
- 'Hot item'
- 'kiss me! before my boyfriend come back'
- 'Car wash fundraiser... $10... Ask me about our specials"
- 'I ♥ my boyfriend(s)'
- '*something* feel happy, so you'll feel happy'
- 'Easy come easy go'
- 'I am sexy by nature, Naughty by choice'
- 'If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?'
- 'I'd flirt *something* likes you'
- 'Am not evil just plain naughty'
- 'Falling in love. He is my boyfriend'
- 'Girl' (Must she remind people? Herself? Does she have a gender identity crisis?)
- 'Let's hug! ♥ No conflict'
- 'Yes, I'M here'
- 'Irresistible. Delectable'
- 'on't as
st get
ack coff' (She was wearing a jacket blocking the first and last letters of each line)
- 'Just me. Let's get steady'
- 'I can't help it that I'm young, rich and fabulous' (At least it didn't say she was pretty, so I couldn't say the T-shirt was definitely lying)
- '*something* with my friends *something* So cute'
- 'Dickies *many words*'
Post ID: 1019994967814417282
Saturday, June 05, 2010
"You know, Barbara is unstable. She is too big, and spends too much."
"There is never enough time, unless you're serving it." - Malcolm Forbes
***
An email I got:
"http://gssq.blogspot.com/2001/11/now-that-google-has-finally-reindexed.html
In the above entry, there is a .wav file of George H. W. Bush that was spliced together. I haven't heard it in over 10 years and would love to get my grubby hands on it again. Sadly, the link in your blog is now broken. (9 years later I'd hope so). I was wondering if you possibly had that wav file you could email. For a bit of a walk down memory lane, it would be awesome. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for your time,
~clone"
Listen to the MP3 (which seems patched together mostly from his State of the Union address):
Or download the original WAV
Transcript:
"You know, Barbara is unstable.
She is too big, and spends too much. She's nagging, lazy and uninspired, but when Barbara holds my pride, I have always risen to the occasion.
This may seem frivolous, and it don't mean itself, but this weekend, we did it together, right here in this chamber, pushing, my missile inch by inch further and deeper, and I'm huge, and I think twice - really - that this is no time to boast.
Tonight she wanted me to know that some day having a good time must end. Which means, no more next year than this year, oh no, this will not stand!
She now recognises that I have needs; my piece is hard and it has been languishing in these Hallowed Halls for years now.
There're certain things that a president can do without the wife, and I'm gonna do them. Let me level with ya, I relish I'm good, and job, and I cannot wait.
Let me tell you what you can do. Give me the same thing 43 Governors have - a new woman under complete government control. And you, pay the bill.
And finally, I had a joint tonight, and it is, kicking in now. And that is fine. No one ever thinks - I need drugs, but after all, a man needs a vice.
You know, I have bad dreams. This time, I saw Elvis - that thief - making fun of my life, and you know, my thing.
*This* will not stand. Thank you, and God Bless our beloved country, thank you very very much."
***
An email I got:
"http://gssq.blogspot.com/2001/11/now-that-google-has-finally-reindexed.html
In the above entry, there is a .wav file of George H. W. Bush that was spliced together. I haven't heard it in over 10 years and would love to get my grubby hands on it again. Sadly, the link in your blog is now broken. (9 years later I'd hope so). I was wondering if you possibly had that wav file you could email. For a bit of a walk down memory lane, it would be awesome. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for your time,
~clone"
Listen to the MP3 (which seems patched together mostly from his State of the Union address):
Or download the original WAV
Transcript:
"You know, Barbara is unstable.
She is too big, and spends too much. She's nagging, lazy and uninspired, but when Barbara holds my pride, I have always risen to the occasion.
This may seem frivolous, and it don't mean itself, but this weekend, we did it together, right here in this chamber, pushing, my missile inch by inch further and deeper, and I'm huge, and I think twice - really - that this is no time to boast.
Tonight she wanted me to know that some day having a good time must end. Which means, no more next year than this year, oh no, this will not stand!
She now recognises that I have needs; my piece is hard and it has been languishing in these Hallowed Halls for years now.
There're certain things that a president can do without the wife, and I'm gonna do them. Let me level with ya, I relish I'm good, and job, and I cannot wait.
Let me tell you what you can do. Give me the same thing 43 Governors have - a new woman under complete government control. And you, pay the bill.
And finally, I had a joint tonight, and it is, kicking in now. And that is fine. No one ever thinks - I need drugs, but after all, a man needs a vice.
You know, I have bad dreams. This time, I saw Elvis - that thief - making fun of my life, and you know, my thing.
*This* will not stand. Thank you, and God Bless our beloved country, thank you very very much."
Post ID: 6912898460579020636
Links - 5th June 2010
"Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so." - Gore Vidal
***
Schumpeter: Overstretched | The Economist - "63% of workers say that their employers do not appreciate their extra effort. And 57% feel that employees are treated like dispensable commodities. Half report that their current level of work is unsustainable... Absenteeism is on the rise. Low-level corporate crime is growing. Corporate loyalty is on the wane. The Corporate Leadership Council reports that the proportion of workers who are willing to put in “discretionary effort” has dropped by almost half since 2007, while the share of respondents who claim that they are “disengaged” from their jobs has risen from a tenth to a fifth. But “discretionary effort” and “engagement” are vital sources of the innovation and creativity that companies claim to value so highly. The biggest danger for companies is if workers head for the door as the economy picks up"
Alternatively, they can try going on telling their workers to be Cheaper, Better, Faster - and see what happens
Evolutionary Psychology FAQ - "Today, apparently, a number of thinkers have, like the Catholic Church, also grounded their moral and political views in certain scientific assumptions about the world. In this case, these are scientific assumptions about human nature (mainly that there isn't one). Consequently, any body of theory and research which calls these assumptions into question will be seen as quite threatening. The problem, of course, is not with those who claim on theoretical and empirical grounds that there is a human nature, it is with those who have succumbed to the temptation to ground their theology in assumptions about humans which are scientifically testable. This is especially unwise because the science of human behavior and psychology is extraordinarily undeveloped... Research which calls into question assumptions underlying popular moral and political views will then unfortunately find itself attacked on extra-scientific grounds. Such research will, in effect, be viewed as heresy. The solution? Don't base your moral or political views on supposed 'facts' about human nature!...
Q: What are your politics? (Translation: Doesn't evolutionary psychology have a crypto conservative political agenda?)
A: Sigh. It shouldn't matter, but of course it does. In case anyone is interested (and I hope no one is), I'm a liberal Democrat"
School to toughen up 'sissy' boys - " Qinlinglu Elementary School in Zhengzhou, Henan province, has launched an initiative called 'Looking for a Real Man' to encourage boys to act more like boys. As part of this the youngsters are taught how to act more masculine and must take an oath swearing to act like 'real men'... During class breaks their favorite game is elastic band skipping, which is a typical girl's game. And the boys are very fragile. If we just scold them a bit they will cry out loudly. In contrast, he says the girls at the school are becoming wilder and wilder."
Expelled activists describe cold-blooded killings - "Israel has gone mad and it will not continue to exist forever."
His comment reveals the activists' real aim
Is This Woman Too Hot To Be a Banker? - "This is the way Debbie Lorenzana tells it: Her bosses told her they couldn't concentrate on their work because her appearance was too distracting. They ordered her to stop wearing turtlenecks. She was also forbidden to wear pencil skirts, three-inch heels, or fitted business suits. Lorenzana, a 33-year-old single mom, pointed out female colleagues whose clothing was far more revealing than hers: "They said their body shapes were different from mine, and I drew too much attention," she says."
It's revealing that her lawyer made her take very conservative pictures for her lawsuit. And all her jobs seem to have been sales jobs - and it's unsurprising she excelled in all of them.
Sigh. Another Conference Against Porn | Good Vibrations Magazine - "It’s really problematic that they usually make sweeping statements about porn without acknowledging that when they talk about “porn,” the term gets used to cover all sexually explicit material, even though porn is much more diverse than they describe. Although it’s in the minority, there’s a growing amount of porn that challenges, questions, and subverts the mainstream industry and they’re usually left out. of the discussion For that matter, there’s plenty of gay porn that, while it doesn’t necessarily challenge notions of sex, certainly doesn’t fit their analyses of how porn affects women simply because there aren’t any women in these movies. There’s also heterosexual porn that shows people having fun, without themes of nonconsensual domination, humiliation, or degradation. If they used some/many/most language in their analysis, they would actually make it more valid because they would actively challenge the idea that all porn has to be a certain way. Also missing from their critiques is any questioning or reflection upon the goals and needs that people are trying to meet by watching porn. In my experience as a sex educator, there are lots of reasons people are interested in porn... I wouldn’t be pointing out that these folks don’t have much understanding around the experiences of men and porn if they weren’t already making all sorts of declarations about the reasons men watch porn and the effects that it may have on them... I’d much rather work towards solutions than complain about problems. Maybe these folks could do the same, but I’m not holding my breath. If you want to check out some of the porn that comes from a different angle, take a look at Good Releasing, our very own production line. You could also try Jiz Lee, No Fauxxx, Pink & White Productions, Courtney Trouble, Comstock Films, Furry Girl, Ruby’s Diary, or Candida Royalle"
Norwegian Boy saves Sister from Moose Attack using World of Warcraft Skills - "Hans knew the first thing he had to do was ‘taunt’ and provoke the animal so that it would leave his sister alone and she could run to safety... Once Hans was a target, he remembered another skill he had picked up at level 30 in ‘World of Warcraft’ – he feigned death. The moose lost interest in the inanimate boy and wandered off into the woods"
How Superstitions Improve Performance
Porn Stars in 3-D Lure Consumers in Japan to Sony, Panasonic Televisions
Today's Alternative Marriage Styles: The Case of Swingers - "Swingers surveyed are the white, middle-class, middle-aged, church-going segment of the population reported in earlier studies, but when it comes to attitudes about sex and marriage they are less racist, less sexist, and less heterosexist than the general population. Swinging appears to make the vast majority of swingers' marriages happier, and swingers rate the happiness of their marriages and life satisfaction generally as higher than the non-swinging population"
Thai Politics | Erotic Massage | Happy Ending - "Chuvit made his fortune in Bangkok running lucrative “soapies”: luxury massage parlors where women treat patrons to erotic baths... 'People still think of you as the “Brothel King.” But in 2005 you smashed a jacuzzi bathtub in front of parliament to show you’re out of that business'... 'The media says I’m a sex merchant, a sex tycoon. Whatever. But I quit already! They’re massage parlors, OK? It’s not immoral... Society, like in Thailand or Asia, everyone runs in a group. In the U.S., you sit at a bar to drink alone and nobody blames you. But Thai people doing this? They’ll say, “What’s wrong with you? Are you broken-hearted?”... People say, “Mr. Chuvit, you're the massage parlor king. Why get into politics?” Because politics has a lot of dirty people. I'm like the massage parlor. I'm gonna clean them all up... Thai people are always talking so nice, even when they’re lying. It’s difficult to see inside them. When I ran my campaign, people would come up and say, "Oh, Mr. Chuvit, I chose you!" I know they’re lying. Why? Because I never win... My political policy is very short. It's love. If the Red Shirts love the [rival-political faction] Yellow Shirts, if the Yellow Shirts love Red Shirts, do you know how much this country would move forward? You just have to love your country, love your king, love your society. All we need is love.'
I wonder if there're translation issues
Get trained, change jobs - "MORE workers who receive training are changing jobs... Almost three in 10 workers with Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) training had changed jobs, compared with two in 10 workers without such training, according to a government study of labour mobility between June 2007 and June 2009."
Moral of the story: Don't send your staff for training!
Islamic Foundation calls for death sentence if apostate fails to repent - "According to the Maldivian constitution all citizens are required to be Muslim, and the country is always described as a “100 percent” Muslim country... “In Islam, there are many cases, it doesn’t mean death penalty,” Dr Naik explained. “But if the person who reverts who was a Muslim then converts to and becomes a non-Muslim and propagates his faith and speaks against Islam, and if it’s Islamic rule, then the person should be put to death”"
Why Sex and the City 2 is a science fiction movie - "Sartorially, the film is the most scifi thing I've seen all year. The wardrobe department obviously used Jean Paul Gaultier's designs from The Fifth Element as a jumping-off point. Tromping through the dunes, the women look like David Lynch's Fremen... Carrie goes to the souk to purchase what appears to be genie shoes (I'm serious). At this point, Carrie's old flame, Aiden Shaw, suddenly appears. Do you know how difficult it is to run into people you know in NYC, let alone in the UAE? Aiden's appearance wasn't just a lazy, ludicrously improbable sop to longtime SATC fans. No, it was The City's machinations keeping Carrie in check. The shoes conspired against her. Ooooh."
One comment: "Thanks for writing possibly the first review of this movie I've seen that isn't tinged with misogynistic horror at the thought of middle-aged ladies having active sex lives."
Hurr hurr. Any time you criticise women, you're a misogynist.
Anti-drugs campaigner Barbara Harris brings crusade to sterilise addicts to UK - ""The problem that Ms Harris is trying to address is a real one," concedes Julian Sheather, the British Medical Association's ethics manager... "A small number of drug-addicted women give birth to a succession of drug-dependent children who are taken into foster care. It is by any standards an appalling start in life"... It is reported that one out of every 264 babies born in Scotland suffers withdrawal symptoms from mothers who use drugs including heroin and cannabis... For many women with drug problems, the chance to become a mother can be life-changing and a powerful motivation to seek help for their addiction and other problems in their lives""
The objection sounds like feel-good hand-waving.
One comment: "Can a drug addict give informed consent to sterilisation? Can a drug addict give informed consent to intercourse? Every child should be a wanted child, not the unintended outcome of a casual relationship. I will contribute now."
Strangely, but not entirely unexpectedly, one commenter blames capitalism for drug addiction (?!)
Unofficial Singapore Government 2.0 wiki [licensed for non-commercial use only] / Abbreviations
GOOD Transparency – Immigration Infographic — Simple Complexity - "GOOD Magazine’s latest Infographic Transparency looks at the 20 countries from which the most people came to America in 2008, how many immigrants already had family here, and how many received asylum when they arrived on our shores."
The US accepted 64 UK refugees and asylees in 2008?!
***
Schumpeter: Overstretched | The Economist - "63% of workers say that their employers do not appreciate their extra effort. And 57% feel that employees are treated like dispensable commodities. Half report that their current level of work is unsustainable... Absenteeism is on the rise. Low-level corporate crime is growing. Corporate loyalty is on the wane. The Corporate Leadership Council reports that the proportion of workers who are willing to put in “discretionary effort” has dropped by almost half since 2007, while the share of respondents who claim that they are “disengaged” from their jobs has risen from a tenth to a fifth. But “discretionary effort” and “engagement” are vital sources of the innovation and creativity that companies claim to value so highly. The biggest danger for companies is if workers head for the door as the economy picks up"
Alternatively, they can try going on telling their workers to be Cheaper, Better, Faster - and see what happens
Evolutionary Psychology FAQ - "Today, apparently, a number of thinkers have, like the Catholic Church, also grounded their moral and political views in certain scientific assumptions about the world. In this case, these are scientific assumptions about human nature (mainly that there isn't one). Consequently, any body of theory and research which calls these assumptions into question will be seen as quite threatening. The problem, of course, is not with those who claim on theoretical and empirical grounds that there is a human nature, it is with those who have succumbed to the temptation to ground their theology in assumptions about humans which are scientifically testable. This is especially unwise because the science of human behavior and psychology is extraordinarily undeveloped... Research which calls into question assumptions underlying popular moral and political views will then unfortunately find itself attacked on extra-scientific grounds. Such research will, in effect, be viewed as heresy. The solution? Don't base your moral or political views on supposed 'facts' about human nature!...
Q: What are your politics? (Translation: Doesn't evolutionary psychology have a crypto conservative political agenda?)
A: Sigh. It shouldn't matter, but of course it does. In case anyone is interested (and I hope no one is), I'm a liberal Democrat"
School to toughen up 'sissy' boys - " Qinlinglu Elementary School in Zhengzhou, Henan province, has launched an initiative called 'Looking for a Real Man' to encourage boys to act more like boys. As part of this the youngsters are taught how to act more masculine and must take an oath swearing to act like 'real men'... During class breaks their favorite game is elastic band skipping, which is a typical girl's game. And the boys are very fragile. If we just scold them a bit they will cry out loudly. In contrast, he says the girls at the school are becoming wilder and wilder."
Expelled activists describe cold-blooded killings - "Israel has gone mad and it will not continue to exist forever."
His comment reveals the activists' real aim
Is This Woman Too Hot To Be a Banker? - "This is the way Debbie Lorenzana tells it: Her bosses told her they couldn't concentrate on their work because her appearance was too distracting. They ordered her to stop wearing turtlenecks. She was also forbidden to wear pencil skirts, three-inch heels, or fitted business suits. Lorenzana, a 33-year-old single mom, pointed out female colleagues whose clothing was far more revealing than hers: "They said their body shapes were different from mine, and I drew too much attention," she says."
It's revealing that her lawyer made her take very conservative pictures for her lawsuit. And all her jobs seem to have been sales jobs - and it's unsurprising she excelled in all of them.
Sigh. Another Conference Against Porn | Good Vibrations Magazine - "It’s really problematic that they usually make sweeping statements about porn without acknowledging that when they talk about “porn,” the term gets used to cover all sexually explicit material, even though porn is much more diverse than they describe. Although it’s in the minority, there’s a growing amount of porn that challenges, questions, and subverts the mainstream industry and they’re usually left out. of the discussion For that matter, there’s plenty of gay porn that, while it doesn’t necessarily challenge notions of sex, certainly doesn’t fit their analyses of how porn affects women simply because there aren’t any women in these movies. There’s also heterosexual porn that shows people having fun, without themes of nonconsensual domination, humiliation, or degradation. If they used some/many/most language in their analysis, they would actually make it more valid because they would actively challenge the idea that all porn has to be a certain way. Also missing from their critiques is any questioning or reflection upon the goals and needs that people are trying to meet by watching porn. In my experience as a sex educator, there are lots of reasons people are interested in porn... I wouldn’t be pointing out that these folks don’t have much understanding around the experiences of men and porn if they weren’t already making all sorts of declarations about the reasons men watch porn and the effects that it may have on them... I’d much rather work towards solutions than complain about problems. Maybe these folks could do the same, but I’m not holding my breath. If you want to check out some of the porn that comes from a different angle, take a look at Good Releasing, our very own production line. You could also try Jiz Lee, No Fauxxx, Pink & White Productions, Courtney Trouble, Comstock Films, Furry Girl, Ruby’s Diary, or Candida Royalle"
Norwegian Boy saves Sister from Moose Attack using World of Warcraft Skills - "Hans knew the first thing he had to do was ‘taunt’ and provoke the animal so that it would leave his sister alone and she could run to safety... Once Hans was a target, he remembered another skill he had picked up at level 30 in ‘World of Warcraft’ – he feigned death. The moose lost interest in the inanimate boy and wandered off into the woods"
How Superstitions Improve Performance
Porn Stars in 3-D Lure Consumers in Japan to Sony, Panasonic Televisions
Today's Alternative Marriage Styles: The Case of Swingers - "Swingers surveyed are the white, middle-class, middle-aged, church-going segment of the population reported in earlier studies, but when it comes to attitudes about sex and marriage they are less racist, less sexist, and less heterosexist than the general population. Swinging appears to make the vast majority of swingers' marriages happier, and swingers rate the happiness of their marriages and life satisfaction generally as higher than the non-swinging population"
Thai Politics | Erotic Massage | Happy Ending - "Chuvit made his fortune in Bangkok running lucrative “soapies”: luxury massage parlors where women treat patrons to erotic baths... 'People still think of you as the “Brothel King.” But in 2005 you smashed a jacuzzi bathtub in front of parliament to show you’re out of that business'... 'The media says I’m a sex merchant, a sex tycoon. Whatever. But I quit already! They’re massage parlors, OK? It’s not immoral... Society, like in Thailand or Asia, everyone runs in a group. In the U.S., you sit at a bar to drink alone and nobody blames you. But Thai people doing this? They’ll say, “What’s wrong with you? Are you broken-hearted?”... People say, “Mr. Chuvit, you're the massage parlor king. Why get into politics?” Because politics has a lot of dirty people. I'm like the massage parlor. I'm gonna clean them all up... Thai people are always talking so nice, even when they’re lying. It’s difficult to see inside them. When I ran my campaign, people would come up and say, "Oh, Mr. Chuvit, I chose you!" I know they’re lying. Why? Because I never win... My political policy is very short. It's love. If the Red Shirts love the [rival-political faction] Yellow Shirts, if the Yellow Shirts love Red Shirts, do you know how much this country would move forward? You just have to love your country, love your king, love your society. All we need is love.'
I wonder if there're translation issues
Get trained, change jobs - "MORE workers who receive training are changing jobs... Almost three in 10 workers with Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) training had changed jobs, compared with two in 10 workers without such training, according to a government study of labour mobility between June 2007 and June 2009."
Moral of the story: Don't send your staff for training!
Islamic Foundation calls for death sentence if apostate fails to repent - "According to the Maldivian constitution all citizens are required to be Muslim, and the country is always described as a “100 percent” Muslim country... “In Islam, there are many cases, it doesn’t mean death penalty,” Dr Naik explained. “But if the person who reverts who was a Muslim then converts to and becomes a non-Muslim and propagates his faith and speaks against Islam, and if it’s Islamic rule, then the person should be put to death”"
Why Sex and the City 2 is a science fiction movie - "Sartorially, the film is the most scifi thing I've seen all year. The wardrobe department obviously used Jean Paul Gaultier's designs from The Fifth Element as a jumping-off point. Tromping through the dunes, the women look like David Lynch's Fremen... Carrie goes to the souk to purchase what appears to be genie shoes (I'm serious). At this point, Carrie's old flame, Aiden Shaw, suddenly appears. Do you know how difficult it is to run into people you know in NYC, let alone in the UAE? Aiden's appearance wasn't just a lazy, ludicrously improbable sop to longtime SATC fans. No, it was The City's machinations keeping Carrie in check. The shoes conspired against her. Ooooh."
One comment: "Thanks for writing possibly the first review of this movie I've seen that isn't tinged with misogynistic horror at the thought of middle-aged ladies having active sex lives."
Hurr hurr. Any time you criticise women, you're a misogynist.
Anti-drugs campaigner Barbara Harris brings crusade to sterilise addicts to UK - ""The problem that Ms Harris is trying to address is a real one," concedes Julian Sheather, the British Medical Association's ethics manager... "A small number of drug-addicted women give birth to a succession of drug-dependent children who are taken into foster care. It is by any standards an appalling start in life"... It is reported that one out of every 264 babies born in Scotland suffers withdrawal symptoms from mothers who use drugs including heroin and cannabis... For many women with drug problems, the chance to become a mother can be life-changing and a powerful motivation to seek help for their addiction and other problems in their lives""
The objection sounds like feel-good hand-waving.
One comment: "Can a drug addict give informed consent to sterilisation? Can a drug addict give informed consent to intercourse? Every child should be a wanted child, not the unintended outcome of a casual relationship. I will contribute now."
Strangely, but not entirely unexpectedly, one commenter blames capitalism for drug addiction (?!)
Unofficial Singapore Government 2.0 wiki [licensed for non-commercial use only] / Abbreviations
GOOD Transparency – Immigration Infographic — Simple Complexity - "GOOD Magazine’s latest Infographic Transparency looks at the 20 countries from which the most people came to America in 2008, how many immigrants already had family here, and how many received asylum when they arrived on our shores."
The US accepted 64 UK refugees and asylees in 2008?!
Post ID: 6579386424421149129
Extending Apologetic Logic to Other Spheres
"The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
***
"A common technique used in debates by evangelicals is that they will "rationally" prove the resurrection is historically probable but when asked if the methods apply to other miracles - they will coyly reply "they haven't studied it yet"! One such example is that of Christian apologist Micheal Horner. Horner is fond of claiming that skeptics and critical historians have an “anti-supernatural bias” against reports about miracles in the Bible.
In his debate with skeptic Farrell Till in 1995, the latter presented him with accounts of miracles from non-Christian writers (Josephus, Suetonius), modern day “Elvis-sightings” and Mormon claims about Joseph Smith and the golden plates and asked for his opinion on their historicity. Horner, who obviously does not believe such miracles, replied that he hadn’t “checked into” them. A year later, in another debate, this time with atheist Dan Barker, Horner was once again asked by Till in the Q&A session about these non-biblical reports of miracles and whether he had evaluated them historically. Once again Horner replied that he hasn’t “yet done that.” The full transcripts of both debates as well as Farell Till’s comments can be found in the Internet Infidels website [accessed on October 2, 2007]:
The Horner-Till debate:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/farrell_till/horner-till/
The Horner-Barker debate:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/dan_barker/barker_horner.html
Farrell Till’s comments on Horner’s position on miracles:
http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1997/2/2claim97.html"
And my response to long tracts about beliefs being "rationally required", "rationally allowed" and "rationally forbidden":
How would you classify belief in the following?
1) The Theory of Gravity
2) The Theory of Evolution
3) Holocaust Denial
4) Julius Caesar being born by Caesarian Section
5) String Theory
6) Rasputin having mystical powers
7) Assortative Mating
8) The Armenian "Genocide" of 1915-1917
9) Crop Circles
10) Alien Abductions
11) Homoepathy
12) The Blank Slate Theory of the Human Mind
13) JFK Conspiracy Theories
14) 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
15) Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories
16) Scientology
17) The existence of William Shakespeare
18) The idea that Salieri killed Mozart
19) The existence of the Basilisk
20) That North Korea just blew up a South Korean vessel
***
"A common technique used in debates by evangelicals is that they will "rationally" prove the resurrection is historically probable but when asked if the methods apply to other miracles - they will coyly reply "they haven't studied it yet"! One such example is that of Christian apologist Micheal Horner. Horner is fond of claiming that skeptics and critical historians have an “anti-supernatural bias” against reports about miracles in the Bible.
In his debate with skeptic Farrell Till in 1995, the latter presented him with accounts of miracles from non-Christian writers (Josephus, Suetonius), modern day “Elvis-sightings” and Mormon claims about Joseph Smith and the golden plates and asked for his opinion on their historicity. Horner, who obviously does not believe such miracles, replied that he hadn’t “checked into” them. A year later, in another debate, this time with atheist Dan Barker, Horner was once again asked by Till in the Q&A session about these non-biblical reports of miracles and whether he had evaluated them historically. Once again Horner replied that he hasn’t “yet done that.” The full transcripts of both debates as well as Farell Till’s comments can be found in the Internet Infidels website [accessed on October 2, 2007]:
The Horner-Till debate:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/farrell_till/horner-till/
The Horner-Barker debate:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/dan_barker/barker_horner.html
Farrell Till’s comments on Horner’s position on miracles:
http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1997/2/2claim97.html"
And my response to long tracts about beliefs being "rationally required", "rationally allowed" and "rationally forbidden":
How would you classify belief in the following?
1) The Theory of Gravity
2) The Theory of Evolution
3) Holocaust Denial
4) Julius Caesar being born by Caesarian Section
5) String Theory
6) Rasputin having mystical powers
7) Assortative Mating
8) The Armenian "Genocide" of 1915-1917
9) Crop Circles
10) Alien Abductions
11) Homoepathy
12) The Blank Slate Theory of the Human Mind
13) JFK Conspiracy Theories
14) 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
15) Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories
16) Scientology
17) The existence of William Shakespeare
18) The idea that Salieri killed Mozart
19) The existence of the Basilisk
20) That North Korea just blew up a South Korean vessel
Post ID: 6394453299272631914
Friday, June 04, 2010
A great message of 'support' for City Harvest
"After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say "I want to see the manager."" - William S. Burroughs
***
Facebook | City Harvest Church (Official): Statement to CHC Members (June 2, 2010):
"CHC is half as the strength of the SAF regulars combined. Some regulars will even join us. If we want to build an army, we can. We want to buy arms, we have the money given to us by God to buy. No weapon shall form against us. CHC will be victorious, no matter what.
When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for they will be given into your hand." - 2 Chronicles 18:14
God will give us victory if we are willing to fight in the name of the LORD."
Best comment I've seen so far is from Xiaxue:
"So your god is pastor kong???? RT: @heywenz @Xiaxue You are no one to judge our God."
***
Facebook | City Harvest Church (Official): Statement to CHC Members (June 2, 2010):
"CHC is half as the strength of the SAF regulars combined. Some regulars will even join us. If we want to build an army, we can. We want to buy arms, we have the money given to us by God to buy. No weapon shall form against us. CHC will be victorious, no matter what.
When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for they will be given into your hand." - 2 Chronicles 18:14
God will give us victory if we are willing to fight in the name of the LORD."
Best comment I've seen so far is from Xiaxue:
"So your god is pastor kong???? RT: @heywenz @Xiaxue You are no one to judge our God."
Post ID: 1210939646049205141
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Sausagefest (2nd June 2010)
"I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
***
Last night, I had a sausagefest.
It was inspired by a night in April when I was eating Currywurst and Brot at Magma and thought that, hey, it wasn't very good and that anyway I preferred it with fries. Bunny Girl then said that she wanted to try Currywurst, and the idea was born.
At first, in keeping with the theme of the evening, I was only going to invite girls (MFTTW, Cunning Linguist, Bunny Girl and Temptation Chris came in the end), but in the end I also asked Mr Wet along (since he's in touch with his sensitive side, I guess that counts); the planned sequel will be a tacofest where I only invite guys, but I suspect Mexican food is not as popular as sausages.
The sausages we ended up consuming:
1) American Packaged Bratwurst ("Cooked Brats")
2) Cold Storage Deli Bratwurst
3) Weisswurst
4) Bockwurst
The sausages we didn't:
1) Spicy Italian
2) Cold Storage Raw Bratwurst
3) English Cumberland
4) Chorizo
5) "Wienerli. Swiss Style" (Swiss Style Vienna Sausage)
One of my specialities, home-made fries
Grilling Cooked Brats and frying frites
Done frites
We then boiled Weißwurst in beer and onions, to bring out its flavour.
Since beer in Singapore is expensive, we used the lousiest beer we could find: Tiger Beer (since 1932).
The only thing Tiger Beer is good for: boiling sausages
Tiger Beer, Onions and Sausages (Weißwurst, Cold Storage Deli Bratwurst, Cooked Brat)
Unfortunately, though I had dispatched my minion (MFTTW) to German Market Place (Bukit Timah Road) to buy the curry ketchup, she forgot to bring it, so we extemporised with tomato ketchup, BBQ sauce and curry powder.
It actually worked quite well with the BBQ sauce.
Bratkartoffeln (German Fried Potatoes), which is actually even more tedious to make than frites.
I'd felt like having Saganaki (Greek Pan-Fried Cheese), and my sister said it could be made with Halloumi which you can find in Singapore, so we also had a go at it:
Australian Halloumi in cornstarch
Frying Halloumi
Fried Halloumi
The crowning glory of Saganaki, of course, is when it is set on fire at your table with the cry of "Opa!"; according to Urban Dictionary, "Opa" is "Greek for, "Oh my God! Your cheese is on fire!""
So we decided to cry out "Opa!" as I valiantly tried to light the Saganaki with flaming disposable chopsticks (we had no lighter and I didn't want to search for matches).
The moment of glory was not captured successfully, but here is its aftermath:
Flaming pan-fried Saganaki (using Halloumi). With too much Cognac. And the flames were extinguished with fresh lemon juice.
Lessons from making Flaming Saganaki:
1) If your first attempt fails, do not pour more alcohol onto the same piece of cheese if you want to be able to eat it afterwards
2) Just light one piece of cheese for dramatic effect - save the rest for eating
3) There is a reason they serve it in its own small pan - so the alcohol fumes collect
Cognac-drenched Saganaki. We didn't touch the centre piece (the one which had gotten the most cognac).
Later, we also got to eat a brownie made with an Easter Egg, and I had one of my fantasies fulfilled: having a beautiful woman spray whipped cream directly into my mouth (I gagged and had to spit).
(Credits: Main photographer of the evening, Bunny Girl, and chronicler of the NSFW pictures MFTTW)
Bonus pictures: mutant egg found in my fridge
***
Last night, I had a sausagefest.
It was inspired by a night in April when I was eating Currywurst and Brot at Magma and thought that, hey, it wasn't very good and that anyway I preferred it with fries. Bunny Girl then said that she wanted to try Currywurst, and the idea was born.
At first, in keeping with the theme of the evening, I was only going to invite girls (MFTTW, Cunning Linguist, Bunny Girl and Temptation Chris came in the end), but in the end I also asked Mr Wet along (since he's in touch with his sensitive side, I guess that counts); the planned sequel will be a tacofest where I only invite guys, but I suspect Mexican food is not as popular as sausages.
The sausages we ended up consuming:
1) American Packaged Bratwurst ("Cooked Brats")
2) Cold Storage Deli Bratwurst
3) Weisswurst
4) Bockwurst
The sausages we didn't:
1) Spicy Italian
2) Cold Storage Raw Bratwurst
3) English Cumberland
4) Chorizo
5) "Wienerli. Swiss Style" (Swiss Style Vienna Sausage)
One of my specialities, home-made fries
Grilling Cooked Brats and frying frites
Done frites
We then boiled Weißwurst in beer and onions, to bring out its flavour.
Since beer in Singapore is expensive, we used the lousiest beer we could find: Tiger Beer (since 1932).
The only thing Tiger Beer is good for: boiling sausages
Tiger Beer, Onions and Sausages (Weißwurst, Cold Storage Deli Bratwurst, Cooked Brat)
Unfortunately, though I had dispatched my minion (MFTTW) to German Market Place (Bukit Timah Road) to buy the curry ketchup, she forgot to bring it, so we extemporised with tomato ketchup, BBQ sauce and curry powder.
It actually worked quite well with the BBQ sauce.
Bratkartoffeln (German Fried Potatoes), which is actually even more tedious to make than frites.
I'd felt like having Saganaki (Greek Pan-Fried Cheese), and my sister said it could be made with Halloumi which you can find in Singapore, so we also had a go at it:
Australian Halloumi in cornstarch
Frying Halloumi
Fried Halloumi
The crowning glory of Saganaki, of course, is when it is set on fire at your table with the cry of "Opa!"; according to Urban Dictionary, "Opa" is "Greek for, "Oh my God! Your cheese is on fire!""
So we decided to cry out "Opa!" as I valiantly tried to light the Saganaki with flaming disposable chopsticks (we had no lighter and I didn't want to search for matches).
The moment of glory was not captured successfully, but here is its aftermath:
Flaming pan-fried Saganaki (using Halloumi). With too much Cognac. And the flames were extinguished with fresh lemon juice.
Lessons from making Flaming Saganaki:
1) If your first attempt fails, do not pour more alcohol onto the same piece of cheese if you want to be able to eat it afterwards
2) Just light one piece of cheese for dramatic effect - save the rest for eating
3) There is a reason they serve it in its own small pan - so the alcohol fumes collect
Cognac-drenched Saganaki. We didn't touch the centre piece (the one which had gotten the most cognac).
Later, we also got to eat a brownie made with an Easter Egg, and I had one of my fantasies fulfilled: having a beautiful woman spray whipped cream directly into my mouth (I gagged and had to spit).
(Credits: Main photographer of the evening, Bunny Girl, and chronicler of the NSFW pictures MFTTW)
Bonus pictures: mutant egg found in my fridge
Post ID: 5933068652799773641
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
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