Last Saturday was a perfect ending to a horrendously rough and confusing week. My mother had organized a trip up Governor Dodge State Park for the Chinese kids. I volunteered to drive because my mom can't right now (well, only for short distances, and even then, not so much). We also listened to Juan Diego Florez on the way up.
There were twelve Chinese who showed up. We drove from Madison to Governor Dodge in two cars due to the relatively large number of people.
When we got there, we had to get a park sticker (we hadn't been to the park in several years). We got to the Cox Hollow Lake picnic area, set up our stuff, and then Mom and the others went down to the beach to look for rocks and smalls water creatures. I stayed at the picnic table because I needed to rest, so I spent much of my time reading Walking With Prehistoric Beasts which is the companion book to the docu-drama Walking With Beasts (it's about the rise of mammals after the dinosaurs died out). Meanwhile, the Chinese kids found and observed tadpoles.
We had lunch around 12:30 and the Chinese kids spent another half hour at the beach before we packed up and went to Stevens Falls. I spent most of the time at the falls wading. I must say that due to the hot dry weather, the pool was half the size it was the last time I had been there, and a great deal muddier. I kept struggling to keep my balance while I was wading, but it was still fun after all these years. The Chinese kids kept on running up and down this fallen log and collecting tent caterpillars (we had to tell them to stop doing that after a while).
After we were done at the falls, we all got back in the cars and headed back to Madison (while listening to Piotr Beczala).
A good time was had by all, and I hope sometime we'll get to do it again.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Bar Signs 4
The Main St. bar actually has a sign that makes sense! It reads "Beer Doesn't Make You Fat. It Makes You Lean Against The Table". That's pretty self-explanatory I think. And I'm going to enjoy this as long as there's an understandable sign on the bar.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Fanboy City
The LEGO company recently released an Oola minifigure for the latest release of another Jabba's Palace set. Just by looking at the design on the minifigure itself, I think there's no question as to how the fanboys are going to react. I'll admit I'm being rather general here (Most fans are not drooling squealers), but given what I've seen online regarding the dancing girl, I'm pretty sure it's the case with many people.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Eh Now? What is Up with These Various Parliaments?
I have seen Scottish comedian Danny Bhoy's sketch about the Italian parliament many times. The country has had literally thirty-eight governments since the Second World War and the government can't get its act together at all; which is apparently due to the numerous brawls the politicians have during session.
I found out recently that it's not just Italian politicians who are quite literally at each others throats. The same problem is going on in Bolivia, India, Somalia, the Ukraine, Korea, Taiwan, a whole bunch of countries have the politicians brawling during session. What the kriff is going on with them? They make our own Congress look tame.
If anyone has an answer, please let me know.
I found out recently that it's not just Italian politicians who are quite literally at each others throats. The same problem is going on in Bolivia, India, Somalia, the Ukraine, Korea, Taiwan, a whole bunch of countries have the politicians brawling during session. What the kriff is going on with them? They make our own Congress look tame.
If anyone has an answer, please let me know.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Don't Ban School Bake Sales
The PJ Tatler spoke about one of the most incredibly stupid bans I've heard about in my twenty-one years. The folks in charge of the education system in Massachusetts have passed a law that bans bake sales in schools claiming that selling cakes is contributing to the obesity crisis.
This is incredibly ridiculous and asinine for several reasons.
Reason Number 1: There is no evidence that these bake sales are in fact causing people to become fat. I've noticed that the portion sizes at these bake sales are usually very small. This is because they are sold by the slice so as to make a bigger profit, because the average person wants to by a small piece of Dobos Torte that costs only about two bucks as opposed to a full size torte that costs around twenty dollars or more.
I have frequently gotten pastries from the bakery in the Madison College building. Whenever I got a cake slice or a tart, I shared it with my family. And the money from the pastries sold helps keep the Madison College Baking Program going. I have also gone to bake sales (not very many though; they're often not going on where I am). I have gotten mostly small things, however, because that's what I can afford. And bake sales raise money for rent, field trips, and other things that a class, church, or school might need (it also gives people an opportunity to make something they love and share it with other people).
Reason Number 2: Banning a food item just because "it contributes to obesity" is ham-handed and has a tendency to backfire. You only make things worse by saying "This food is forbidden". When you send that message, the forbidden aspect makes it all the more desirable, and contributes even further to the problem of obesity. Besides, it's okay to have a piece of cake once in a while (I eat cake whenever I can get it, which is not as often as it might seem). And being ham-handed is more likely to turn people off to your point (believe me, I know this from personal experience). If you want to curb obesity, this is not the way to go.
Finally, it's the schools' own business what they do to raise money for field trips and whatnot. Unless the schools are doing something obviously illegal (which is almost never the case in my experience), the state should keep their abnormally large noses out of it. Bake sales have never done anyone any harm, so why should it even be an issue?
Are the folks in the government so hell-bent on lowering obesity rates that they want to exterminate anything that sounds like "junk food"? I'll agree that Americans do eat too much junk food, but outright bans are the wrong way to go about fixing the problem. And bake sales do bring in much-needed cash for schools to help further their students' education.
My personal experiences: My high school choir class did pizza sales once a years in order to raise money for field trips. My class actually assembled the pizzas in the school cafeteria, so that also taught us how to work together and get a job done; not to mention it also helped us build work skills. The Asian Club would sometimes sell spring rolls in the cafeteria after school and the Latin Culture Club would sell churros. And all were fund-raisers to help further students' education. \
So to the politicians in Massachusetts I say this: Get rid of this ban right now. There is no real evidence to prove that these bake sales contribute to the obesity crisis and it is foolish to even say so. Pastries are big money spinners, so why shouldn't people be allowed to make them and sell them? Seriously, please don't make baked goods into forbidden foods. It only makes them more desirable and contributes even more to the obesity problem.
Now if you all will excuse me, I think I hear a slice of Dobos Torte calling my name.
This is incredibly ridiculous and asinine for several reasons.
Reason Number 1: There is no evidence that these bake sales are in fact causing people to become fat. I've noticed that the portion sizes at these bake sales are usually very small. This is because they are sold by the slice so as to make a bigger profit, because the average person wants to by a small piece of Dobos Torte that costs only about two bucks as opposed to a full size torte that costs around twenty dollars or more.
I have frequently gotten pastries from the bakery in the Madison College building. Whenever I got a cake slice or a tart, I shared it with my family. And the money from the pastries sold helps keep the Madison College Baking Program going. I have also gone to bake sales (not very many though; they're often not going on where I am). I have gotten mostly small things, however, because that's what I can afford. And bake sales raise money for rent, field trips, and other things that a class, church, or school might need (it also gives people an opportunity to make something they love and share it with other people).
Reason Number 2: Banning a food item just because "it contributes to obesity" is ham-handed and has a tendency to backfire. You only make things worse by saying "This food is forbidden". When you send that message, the forbidden aspect makes it all the more desirable, and contributes even further to the problem of obesity. Besides, it's okay to have a piece of cake once in a while (I eat cake whenever I can get it, which is not as often as it might seem). And being ham-handed is more likely to turn people off to your point (believe me, I know this from personal experience). If you want to curb obesity, this is not the way to go.
Finally, it's the schools' own business what they do to raise money for field trips and whatnot. Unless the schools are doing something obviously illegal (which is almost never the case in my experience), the state should keep their abnormally large noses out of it. Bake sales have never done anyone any harm, so why should it even be an issue?
Are the folks in the government so hell-bent on lowering obesity rates that they want to exterminate anything that sounds like "junk food"? I'll agree that Americans do eat too much junk food, but outright bans are the wrong way to go about fixing the problem. And bake sales do bring in much-needed cash for schools to help further their students' education.
My personal experiences: My high school choir class did pizza sales once a years in order to raise money for field trips. My class actually assembled the pizzas in the school cafeteria, so that also taught us how to work together and get a job done; not to mention it also helped us build work skills. The Asian Club would sometimes sell spring rolls in the cafeteria after school and the Latin Culture Club would sell churros. And all were fund-raisers to help further students' education. \
So to the politicians in Massachusetts I say this: Get rid of this ban right now. There is no real evidence to prove that these bake sales contribute to the obesity crisis and it is foolish to even say so. Pastries are big money spinners, so why shouldn't people be allowed to make them and sell them? Seriously, please don't make baked goods into forbidden foods. It only makes them more desirable and contributes even more to the obesity problem.
Now if you all will excuse me, I think I hear a slice of Dobos Torte calling my name.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
HOLY SHRAPNEL!
Well, this Professional Cooking final exam will certainly be fixed in my head for the rest of my life. I had never ever seen a pan of fish go up in flames right in front of my face! I had marinated some fish fillets in wine and had put one of them on the pan. I used too much oil and I didn't blot the first fillet after marinating it. The next thing I know, there's a fireball right in front of my face (luckily no one was hurt and the fish didn't burn). I'd forgotten how volatile alcohol is. We put out the fire and I blotted the second fillet (no fires started when I put in on the pan). Nonetheless, my instructor deducted points off of my score for that and actually wrote "Tried to set the kitchen on fire" on my rubric!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Bar Signs 3
The Main St. bar had another sign. It reads "Tequila: Proud Sponsor of Bad Decisions. Happy Cinco de Mayo!" Eh? Are they encouraging people to get drunk or discouraging people from it? This sign needs to be a little more clear.
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