Between what Harper government has done with muzzling publicly funded science and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, I’m now reassured that climate change doesn’t exist…
Author: admin
Kooza!
Auntie Nat comped us tickets to go see Kooza in Bern. It was Bean’s first show and he loved it :-) We went to see the bears in the old town, did a bit of window shopping, then went to the show. After that, we all had a late (in the case of Bean, very late) dinner at Da Carlo in Lausanne and headed home. All in all, a good but tiring day.
Canada’s image has changed on the international stage, and not for the better.
Canada’s image has changed on the international stage, and not for the better, believes former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
At a conference at Concordia University, Chrétien deplored the climate of fear fed by the Conservative government, who wants to pass its anti-terrorism bill as soon as possible.
He co-signed an open letter with other former first Canadian and former judges of the Supreme Court ministers to denounce C-51, which could undermine public protection and human rights. “It’s a slippery slope. And it’s easy to use the emotions and fear of the people to remove certain freedoms, that are sometimes difficult to regain,” he commented during a news briefing.
“When I travel, I am always asked, ‘What happened in Canada?’. We lost our image. We were an example to the world,” laments the former prime minister.
Chrétien recalled that he had refused to commit Canada to war in Iraq in 2003, when the fear of a terrorist attack after September 11 was indeed real. But the country is already at war against the Islamic state, he had said in an interview on CBC. “We were the guardians of peace, now we are the target!” he said Wednesday.
“We developed an image of Canada. We became a member of the G7. When we wanted a seat on the UN Security Council, there was no problem.” In 2010, Canada had to concede victory to Portugal to obtain a seat on the Security Council, which was a hard setback for the country on the international stage.
Chrétien has repeatedly touted the country’s ability to deliver equality for all, since Canada is an “example of diversity and unity.”
“Immigration has changed. We had a lot of immigrants from Europe, especially, and at one point, we had people from Asia, South America … Here is what Canada was and what he is today.”
“Avoid giving in to fear”, he said, “since the population is more likely to be struck by lightning than to die in a terrorist attack. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. There are 1.3 billion Muslims on the planet. They are not all terrorists!”
Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, bananaphone!
Meet Benson and Pops
We got the birds :) The cats are rather interested in the proceedings… Hopefully, the novelty factor will dissipate quickly, and the fact that they get sprayed with water every time they try to touch the cage will sink in through their thick furry skulls.
A lengthy debate finally put to rest with hard, solid facts.
Finally, a study which may lay to rest some of the lingering fallacies about penis size and alleviate the woes shared by many men worldwide. According to new research, the average erect penis length is just over 13 centimeters, or around 5 inches. Furthermore, there’s no strong association between foot size and penis length, so women can stop judging men by the size of their shoes. To obtain a reliable data set, a team of U.K. researchers decided to compile measurements taken by health professionals who followed a standardized measuring procedure. They included both girth (the circumference at the base or the middle) and length (pubic bone to the tip of the glans) measurements from 20 different studies, which totaled 15,521 men from various countries across the world. And the results will be music to the ears of many.
The average flaccid penis was found to be 9.16 cm (3.61 inches) long, whereas the average erect penis is 13.12 cm (5.16 inches) in length. In terms of girth, the average circumference of a flaccid penis turned out to be 9.31 cm (3.66 inches), and 11.66 cm (4.59 inches) for an erect one. Furthermore, those at extreme ends of the spectrum were found to be much less common. For example, only 5 men out of every 100 have an erect penis longer than 16 cm (6.3 inches).
Bank of Canada asks Star Trek fans to stop ‘Spocking’ the 5$ bill
Bank of Canada is pleading with Star Trek fans to stop “Spocking” its five dollar bills. Since Leonard Nimoy’s death, Canadian folks have been “Spocking” the hell out of the five dollar bill that features a portrait of Canada’s seventh prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Sir Wilfrid now sports, on certain bills at least, pointy ears, the signature Vulcan haircut and eyebrows and Spock’s mantra “Live long and prosper.”
According to Bank of Canada it’s not illegal to do this but:
“…However, there are important reasons why it should not be done. Writing on a bank note may interfere with the security features and reduces its lifespan. Markings on a note may also prevent it from being accepted in a transaction. Furthermore, the Bank of Canada feels that writing and markings on bank notes are inappropriate as they are a symbol of our country and a source of national pride.”
Beware the moose!
The Tao of Fight Club
I need to watch that movie again.
[recipe] Lamb doner kebab
500g lamb mince
100g of stale breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
a good grind of black pepper
1 medium onion coarsely grated.
Mix thoroughly using a rubber spatula and then place back into the fridge to chill.
Mince the chilled ingredients again through the finest plate which should render a smooth, meaty pâté. In making something like a hamburger you want to keep the mixture loose to allow a good texture when cooked; with doner meat we’re looking for as near a homogenous slab of flavoured protein as possible so you can’t overwork it – as long as the whole thing remains as cold as possible so the fat can’t escape.
You could cook the meat in a regular terrine dish but bear with me here. Honestly it’s worth it.
Clean an empty, standard 1lb tin and line with two layers of cling film. Be careful of the edge, it’s lethal. Work the chilled mixture quickly through your fingers until it looks more homogeneous then form into fat burger shapes that will just fit into the tin. In the real thing, discs of the paste are piled onto a skewer which gives the shape and a slight horizontal grain structure. We’ll try to keep to that idea. Pack the pucks into the tin and then close the cling film tightly to seal the top.
Stand the tin in the bottom of a big casserole and add boiling water to about half its depth. Put into a medium oven, around 150C, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 75C – mine took around an hour and a half – then turn the oven off and leave for 15 minutes while you prepare a salad mix, like a dry coleslaw, heavy on the white cabbage, dressed with lemon.
Turn out and unwrap your mini-elephant leg and trim the bottom so it will stand on end on an oven tray or metal plate.
To serve, play a blowtorch over the surface of the meat and then slice vertically, stabilising the cylinder with a carving fork if necessary.
