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Links: Keychains, Bush, Han Solo, and More
By Mr. E, October 14th, 2007Pee and Poo keychains. Nice.
Bush is passing on his problems to those who follow. Wow, couldn’t see that coming 10,000 miles away.
Depression and exercise have a relationship to each other. They do not seem to get along.
50 Worst Songs Ever
By Mr. E, October 12th, 2007The 50 worst songs ever in the history of Rock ‘n roll. To all my college buddies at UMD in 1995 that loved “Cotton Eye Joe”, finally, vindication! The song is terrible.
Docs: “Wii does the body good”
By Mr. E, October 11th, 2007Physical therapists are turning to video games to help patients get their grooves back. Too bad my ceiling height doesn’t allow for very enthusiastic serves and/or bowling moves.
read more | digg story
iPods in Bedside Medical Education
By Mr. E, October 11th, 2007The iPod has come to the bedside. Physicians are being educated about ultrasound using short, instructional videos on the iPod so they can learn more effectively at the bedside.
read more | digg story
Paul Krugman’s Blog
By Mr. E, October 11th, 2007I recommend everyone start reading Paul Krugman’s blog at the NY Times. Granted, it’s semi-dry stuff so if you’re looking for entertainment, keep looking. What great about it is his cut-through-the-bullshit angle on Economics. For example, in a recent post he points out that 10 years ago, 2/3’s of people felt GOOD about the economy. Today it’s 1/3. Yet the unemployment rate has remained the same. Why could that be? Paul Krugman explains.
Links: Burma, Germs, Bling, and Zen
By Mr. E, October 9th, 2007Time Magazine has published a firsthand account of what’s happening in Burma. I think it’s important that this event receives as much media coverage as possible.
Germs that went to space and came back now have superpowers according to a NASA study.
Finally, no more scouring the Internet looking for grillz, dog tags, pendants, etc. HipHopBling.com is the one-stop-shop for all things that go bling.
Zen Habits offers 10 ways to simplify your life. Easy to understand, somewhat less easy to actually do. Try.
Nations drift apart, cultures converge
By Mr. E, October 9th, 2007Here’s a great article in a European newspaper, titled “Nations drift apart, cultures converge“, offering sympathy to shamed Americans. It offers a great little pearl of wisdom that everyone, in every country, should remember.
People should not be judged by the government they live under but should judge the government they live under.
Exotic and Weird Food Around the World
By Mr. E, October 4th, 2007Articles here lately (except for the previous one) have had a bit of a international aspect to them. I’m going to continue that theme. This time, the topic of food will be the soup du jour.
Part of the excitement in trying new, exotic food is the uncomfortableness. There’s a feeling of adventure in an otherwise normal daily activity. That said, I’m certain that particular foods are much more difficult to acquire a taste for than others. Then, there are things that are just plain weird that humans should not be eating. I decided to search the web and find some of the more quirky and freakish things people eat and where it happens.
- Rotten Shark | Iceland
Shark is supposed to be dangerous to eat so it is buried deep in the sand, usually far away from and houses to keep the smell away. It results in both soft and hard pieces of shark (skyrhakarl and glerhakarl) which is cut and served in small cubes. According to Learning Space, “the tough glerhakarl is recommended for beginners, as the soft skyrhakarl can cause an involuntary gagging reaction due to its texture.”
- Fritto Misto alla Piemontese | Italy
This lovely dish features beef testicle(s) as the savory star. Some instructions…”Boil the testicles for five minutes in lightly salted water, then drain them, cool them under running water, peel the brains, and cut the meat into pieces about an inch in diameter.” Artichokes, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, and porcini mushrooms are then added and it is all seasoned with fennel. Probably not bad if you didn’t know what you’re eating.
- Bush Tuckers & Pie Floaters | Australia
While the ingredients are hardly as exotic as the others, these concoctions have funny names. A pie floater is a meat pie, floating in a pool of pea soup, topped with some ketchup. I can get you the full recipe if you want.
- Black Pudding & Drisheen | Ireland
No, the following is not a Halloween prank. These culinary delights are made with a bag of lamb’s intestines and 20 cups sheep or pig blood. These dishes are typically served with bread and butter. If you’d like the recipe please visit Ireland.
Pickled fish eyes | Japan
These can be served on a cracker as a bar snack or appetizer. Also, they can be served in soups or on toothpicks at a party. I’m sure this trend will reach North America very soon, be sure to keep an eye out.
- Banana Worm Bread | Iowa State
The entymology club at Iowa State likes to make food from the insects they study. They have recipes for the above and more such as Rootworm beetle dip, Mealworm fried rice, and Chocolate Chirpie cookies.
That’s about enough. Anyway, I recommend at least trying things like this…I mean, what makes a better story? Trying something like this or chickening out? Or better yet, find out what you’re eating after you ate it. Ignorance can be bliss. As the famed epicurean Homer Simpson once said, “This donut has purple in the middle, purple is a fruit.”
