So "Top Gear" is one of my favorite shows. It's three British guys talking about cars and test-driving cars -- old, new, cheap, expensive (mostly expensive) -- they race them, they build them, they re-build them. They invite celebrities to come and drive around their racetrack and get timed and get their times listed on the celebrities board. It's pretty awesome. This is a segment from it.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=HYtro7PnBA8]
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
this little girl is too cute! (and "Britain's Got Talent")
So I've been watching old American Idol clips on YouTube, and this little gem popped up on the sidebar. Connie Talbot, a 6-year-old, totally impressed Simon Cowell on "Britain's Got Talent" when she sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He said she was "pitch perfect." And anyway, there's Ant and Dec, who are pretty famous in Britain. Imagine competing against a 6-year-old. I've known there was a "Britain's Got Talent," but I've never looked into it, and it seems like that was a mistake on my part. Paul Potts, the guy who eventually won, sang operas and was pretty good. He's got amazing, but he's not bad. Videos!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWNoiVrJDsE]
In the semi-finals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWyile34-Hg]
In the finals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Uhgm5Ox9Q]
The competition, Paul Potts, singing "Nessun Dorma:"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&mode=related&search=]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_5W4t_CBzg]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWNoiVrJDsE]
In the semi-finals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWyile34-Hg]
In the finals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Uhgm5Ox9Q]
The competition, Paul Potts, singing "Nessun Dorma:"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&mode=related&search=]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_5W4t_CBzg]
Monday, October 15, 2007
Stephen Colbert takes over for Maureen Dowd
Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report -- and fellow South Carolinian (woo!) wrote an op-ed column for Maureen Dowd this week. Even though I'm not a big fan of his show, the column is pretty amusing. This is my favorite bit:
Second, winning the Nobel Prize does not automatically qualify you to be commander in chief. I think George Bush has proved definitively that to be president, you don’t need to care about science, literature or peace.
Second, winning the Nobel Prize does not automatically qualify you to be commander in chief. I think George Bush has proved definitively that to be president, you don’t need to care about science, literature or peace.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
story of a failure on Japan's welfare system
This story is from The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/world/asia/12japan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
A man who starved to death after his town's welfare system cut him off from benefits was found in his home. He dreamed of eating rice balls. His last diary entry read: “My belly’s empty. I want to eat a rice ball. I haven’t eaten rice in 25 days.” His town, Kitakyushu, has a welfare system that was touted to be the model, but this man's story was not the first. Two others preceded him in the last three years.
Read the second page, where the reporter wrote the neighbors' reactions. This one jumped out:
“He may have starved to death, but I believe he reaped what he sowed,” Mr. Kita said. “He was still young, so he could have taken on any job to feed himself.”
Mr. Kita — who had once seen corpses in his job as a general contractor — had guessed from the stench that his neighbor had died. He had watched swallows fly out of the broken house with greenbottle flies in their beaks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/world/asia/12japan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
A man who starved to death after his town's welfare system cut him off from benefits was found in his home. He dreamed of eating rice balls. His last diary entry read: “My belly’s empty. I want to eat a rice ball. I haven’t eaten rice in 25 days.” His town, Kitakyushu, has a welfare system that was touted to be the model, but this man's story was not the first. Two others preceded him in the last three years.
Read the second page, where the reporter wrote the neighbors' reactions. This one jumped out:
“He may have starved to death, but I believe he reaped what he sowed,” Mr. Kita said. “He was still young, so he could have taken on any job to feed himself.”
Mr. Kita — who had once seen corpses in his job as a general contractor — had guessed from the stench that his neighbor had died. He had watched swallows fly out of the broken house with greenbottle flies in their beaks.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
ketchup fried rice
So this might SOUND disgusting and weird, but it is REALLY good and very simple to make. My mom made this a couple of times, and I've made it several times. It's filling, especially if you add stuff to it. I like corn. You might prefer shrimp or pork or something.
Ketchup Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS:
cooked rice
ketchup
salt
pepper
oil
optional: canned sweet corn, shrimp or a meat of your choice
PROCEDURE:
* Cook the rice according to instructions or taste. I, being Asian, use a rice cooker. Make enough for however many people you're feeding. Leftovers are great even the next day.
* In a hot skillet or saucepan -- this works best in a nonstick pan -- drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil and wait for it to heat up
* Add your rice. If you have a lot of rice, add it gradually.
* stir around so if doesn't burn, but I like a little crunchiness
* squeeze a liberal amount of ketchup over the rice, until it turns orange-pink
* taste. add more ketchup if needed
* add your extra ingredient. If you're using raw seafood or meat, I suggest pre-cooking it
* add salt and pepper to taste
That's it!
Ketchup Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS:
cooked rice
ketchup
salt
pepper
oil
optional: canned sweet corn, shrimp or a meat of your choice
PROCEDURE:
* Cook the rice according to instructions or taste. I, being Asian, use a rice cooker. Make enough for however many people you're feeding. Leftovers are great even the next day.
* In a hot skillet or saucepan -- this works best in a nonstick pan -- drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil and wait for it to heat up
* Add your rice. If you have a lot of rice, add it gradually.
* stir around so if doesn't burn, but I like a little crunchiness
* squeeze a liberal amount of ketchup over the rice, until it turns orange-pink
* taste. add more ketchup if needed
* add your extra ingredient. If you're using raw seafood or meat, I suggest pre-cooking it
* add salt and pepper to taste
That's it!
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