Love and Justice

well, My mother is in this one.

An anthropological introduction to YouTube

These are just two of the coolest videos ever. But then I am a nut for anthropology.

Why we don’t understand as much as we think we do

This is a brilliant show on how much we do not know, even when we think otherwise. Everyone should watch it.

It reminds me of one of the sayings my grandfather used to use: Though kissed the bed post and though it was his wife.

John Steward on Amy Palin

Here is one of the best political commentaries I have seen in a long time. Thanks to Amy for sharing the link.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred

I saw this on Billy's blog, who saw it on LeftOverQueen’s blog, and she saw it on Elly’s Blog, and Elly saw it on Andrew’s VGT blog, and we all think that as a foodie who loves food, we all should try everything at least once. Andrew made up a list of 100 things, some common, some exotic, some I need to look it up on Wikipedia. I added rule 5.

From the 100 things, here’s what you have to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
5) Add ten things you have eaten.

Here’s my VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Phở
13. PB&J sandwich (peanut, butter and jelly)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
101. Hoe (Korean)
102. Ggakdugi, radish kimchi
103. Makgeolli
104. Jiaozi
105. Shaobing
106. Hot and sour soup
107. Chai tow kway
108. Nasi goreng
109. Sambal
110. duck tongue

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

It says the following. You can try it yourself!

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
When it comes to decorating and furnishing your home, no one would ever accuse you of purism and restraint. You're a real glamour puss, never happier than when an opportunity crops up to add another flourish of theatrical pizzazz to your home. We're not saying you're a drama queen, really...!
Living Room
You are drawn to all things that combine beauty with adventure. This is a high-octane, unabashed, sensual look that encompasses everything that's luxurious, voluptuous and curvaceous. Think rich fabrics, textured materials and glossy surfaces. While glamour makes a big, bold statement, it also smacks of total comfort and fun. Choosing accessories with a retro look can help to lock down the style and give it a really strong sense of identity: Fifties streamlined vases and lamps are especially popular. Vibrant, jewel-like colours command attention while eclectic black and white make for a bold, yet chic statement. Having worked wonders in the kitchen, you deserve a bit of quality time in the living room where you can relax and unwind.
Bedroom
Yours is a 'modern master' bedroom. Sleep is fundamentally important to our well being. In busy towns and cities, noise can often hamper a good night's sleep. Soft furnishings really do absorb sound, and touch is such an important sense in the bedroom, from crisp, linen sheets to wool or even sheepskin underfoot. You make quite a statement with clean, strong lines in your bedroom, using cool pastel blues and greens to create a fresh but restful sense of calm.
Dining Room
You're an interiors globe-trotter, the inveterate internationalist. At home, your dining space mixes inspiration from different cultures and countries, perhaps reflecting your origins or a favourite holiday destination. In an open-plan layout, you can use colour, textiles, even pictures or wall-hangings to define the dining space and give it a unique identity. And your globe-trotting approach to interiors means that you're sure not to run out of ideas and inspiration. When it comes to entertaining, you like to make an effort for family and friends.
Home Office
Who says paying the bills can't be glamorous? Hot desking is all very well at work, but having a designated 'office' space at home really does make sense, even if it's in a corner of your bedroom. Even if your desk is quite utilitarian, you can use colour and texture to add a touch of glamour and pizzazz.
Conclusion
Your home's a shrine to all things glamorous.

Penlope Swales

I have been waiting for a long time fro Penelope to post on youtube, at last!

simply stunning

but very long

eathquake in china

some real and tragic photos.

Elsie Marley's Mates - Wheeze and Suck Band

The Wheeze and Suck Band is an Australian band, playing a mix of folk music styles. I only saw them briefly at the festival, but it was enough to want to purchase a CD.

• Elsie Marie is a simply arranged dance tune that brings back such memories of listening to folk music in Melbourne in the 1970's and 1980's.
• Coal Hole Cavalry is typical of a type of English music we do not hear much of here in Australia and shows the dour nature of this music.
• The sea shanty Santy Anna is about a mexican general who lost the war with Texas. I suspect the details in the sleeve are a bit incorrect. It is a very depressing piece of music.
  

Katie Rowe - the Simplest of Things

On one of the occasions, when I was on my own, I wandered into the second half of Katie's performance at the Troubadour. This performance was my first pleasant surprise of the National Folk Festival and luckily I arrived just as Katie was about to sing Fred the Dog. Katie Rowe is an excellent song writer singer, with simple, quite and honest folk songs up there with the best that the tradition has to offer. As before, here are my three favourite songs.

• Butterfly is a beautiful, heart tugging love song of an offer that is in the end refused.
• The next song is a very bitter sweet personal tale of the day Katie's and her brothers went to a river near Jindabyne to say goodbye.
• In the modern era, you can get translations of dog speech; so what happens? A riot of fun in Fred the Dog.
  



The Rainmakers

Well, Visiting the National Folk Festival, of course I purchased some CDs. The Rainmakers (otherwise knows as the rigby thomson family band, being Jane Thompson, James, Maggie, Elsie and Naomi Rigby) was one of the best surprises of the festival. Kate knew them and insisted we all go and watch. Very clever and complex harmonies. The tracks are recorded live. Unfortunately the highlight of the show, money money money, is not on the CD. But all the tracks are of an excellent quality. Here are my thee favourite songs, though they are all very good.

• My favourite track on the album is It's a Free World. A quirky and satirical song about the endless need for balance between people rights and the need to get along with each other.
• Hot Water Bottle is a gentle and happy song about everyday life, enough to lighten the heart of all who listen to it.
• Somewhere over the Rainbow is a different and beautifully harmonic version of the classic musical song about an abused child desiring to escape into a dream world where things are better.
  

nudar

It's been ages since I posted a site, but this one is just a bit silly. What I really need is for the petrol station companies to produce POI files so I can put them in my GPS. Shell and Mobil, are you listening? Maybe even the YHA should get on the bandwagon.

WHEN & WHERE - uncover nudity