Yummy Wakame

Remember a while back we went on holiday in rural South West France? We stayed in a beautifully restored gite in return for revamping the owner’s old website.

At last its done and The Old Presbytery is online! Check out the photos I promised in the gallery.

In July I blogged Soy and Menopause
Only 10% of Japanese women suffer hot flashes and less than 4% suffer night sweats due to their soy-rich diets. There isn’t even a word for the condition in Japanse culture.

If you’d like to boost your soy intake now while youre young to avoid menopausal symptoms later, or are going through the menopause, and you dont like tofu, try my yummy hot chocolate recipe. Its really easy to make and happens to be completely vegan.

Yummy’s irresistible Rich Frothy Hot Chocolate Recipe made with soya milk. PIC: This is what it looks like. Irresistable!!

Equipment: coffee plunger (essential!), small pot
Ingredients: Organic unflavoured sugar free soya milk (Organic so its pesticide free. I use Alpro), and Green & Blacks Organic Hot Chocolate (extremely luxurious cocoa-rich chocolate, no milk added, contains raw cane sugar)

Instructions:
1. Mix 4 teaspoons G&B Hot Choc with a tiny bit of boiling water in your cup to blend the granules.
1. Heat up 3/4 cup soya milk in pot. (Boiling it does change the flavour, and I prefer it, so try both options to see which you like best.)
2. Add the heated soya milk to the coffee plunger. Plunge up and down a few times until the soya milk frothes. It may even double or triple up the plunger.
3. Slowly add the frothy milk to the cup while stirring it in well. Stop before you get to the top, to make space for extra frothing.
4. Plunge whats left a few more times so it stiffens more.
5. Scoop remains onto the top of the hot chock.
6. Sprinkle a pinch or two of G&B’s on the top.

Enjoy!

You’ll be amazed how incredibly delicious this drink is! I have it nearly every day. Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it.

Kat is a star! She has tracked down my favourite UK TV commercial so I can share it with everyone: The New Citroën C4 (4.7MB mpeg)

Dancer and choreographer Marty Kudelka had motion sensors placed over his body to record his moves, which were then simulated by the animated car and robot. The 30-second ad, which uses a track by Les Rythmes Digitales, was devised by London creative agency Euro RSCG, the animations were the work of the Embassy (Vancouver) and it was produced by Spy Films (Toronto).

The C4 goes on sale today in the UK.

Discovered on Chapel Perilous:

Fafinette
French graffiti artist Fafi is a rising star on the graffiti scene. She has a distinctly feminine style. Her drawings, paintings, and wall projects are often of socially and sexually liberated girls, and influenced by the many cultures she has experienced during her world travels.

Her graphics have been in countless magazines such as Nylon, Dish, Warp, and L’Express and she has exhibited in Japan, New York, and Paris. Go girl!

Shatner Has Been
There’s an interview that starts up when the site opens, so turn up the speakers. Select “You’ll have time” from the track list at the top. Hilarous!
(Thanks Bob)

It is safe to say that Caiterwauling is a very unique blog. It is shared by two sassy and intelligent women - Cait from Texas, and Miko from Japan. Cait with her rather bizarre and hilarous cat stories, Miko with her eyebrow-raising memoirs, both share so much about the funny and interesting sides to their vastly different cultures. It’s very edutaining and it’s for good reason Caiterwauling has always been in the “digested daily” list. Go and see for yourself.

I’m so excited - we’re going to see Nitin Sawhney and Britten Sinfonia tonight, live at the Brighton Dome! He’s on a world tour at the moment - don’t miss your chance. I can’t wait to get my hands on the new album.

“A gifted multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, DJ and song-writer, Nitin Sawhney is regarded as one of the world’s most innovative musical talents. Epic and diverse, yet with a simple, articulate message, Nitin’s music pushes cultural boundaries to breaking point, blending Urban R&B, Indian classical music and jazz. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness Nitin live on stage with his regular collaborators and musicians from Britten Sinfonia. New arrangements of classics from his albums Beyond Skin, Prophesy and Displacing the Priest rub shoulders with The Classroom, a brand new work, commissioned by Britten Sinfonia for this project.”
~ Britten Sinfonia.

If you’ve ever wondered where they come from…

RARE EXPORTS INC - an astonishing short film from Finland by Jalmari Helander. Beautifully filmed, stunning soundtrack.

Found on More Marge Than You Can Shake A Stick At

Following on from TPS, Macaw suggests Mail Preference Service. Sign up to stop the bulk of postal spam in the UK.

Rock, Onic and Bob’s Banjolele Recycling Band
This Brighton-based band do banjolele ‘recycling jobs’ (covers) of stuff like white riot, the model (kraftwerk in polka ska style) and even the theme to prisoner cell block H.

You can download a couple of tracks in the ‘get the album’ section. My favourite - mr blue sky.

Yummy friend Jeffrey sent me this absolutely addictive track today - Rodeohead by Hard n Phirm. Yeeeeeeeeeeee haw!

FOR THE RECORD
Just because you see a direct “quote” or article taken from a website and posted on my site does not necessarily mean that I agree with it, in whole or in part, unless I have expressed my views.

I often post articles that are someone else’s extreme point of view, articles that are rather ludicrous and amusing, and some may even have a grain of truth in them. I am not trying to make a generalisation about a country or group of people. If it’s newsworthy, it’s being felt by someone and it’s happening, I’ll post it.

Also I often have daily quotes on the side that are more of a warning of how far wrong you can go, although most are happy and cheery. I do not agree with quite a number of daily quotes.

For those who are wondering I have quite a few precious American friends. The ones I have come to know and love are intelligent, questioning, and have big hearts. They each have very different social and political views. I sometimes worry about their safety when so many wait to see them fail, I worry how and where America is being lead, I worry about the intensity and great risks, I worry that while they weren’t watching, the freedom of speech they have fought so hard for has been taken away. If you were wondering… that’s how I really feel.

“Apparently it’s not masochistic enough for Americans just to elect Bush for another four years; they have to invent A PILL TO REPLACE TEA as well. I’m sorry, but tea is like sex. You cannot synthesise it. This is a slippery slope leading to the death of civilisation.”
~ Archel

I LOVE 20202 - Bedsit Bomber’s latest track.

He provides no clues to this elusive and cryptically named track, so here is my story:

You are prisoner number 20202, sentenced to life for gouging out a man’s imbedded IDChip Organ™ to steal his identity. It’s 20 years in the future and you’re on the run after breaking out of a high security prison. Your brain is numbed by behaviour controlling drugs, and you’re running in slow motion like the Million Dollar Man. You’ve been in so long you don’t know who you are anymore. You don’t know anyone on the outside. You don’t even know where you’re going, as long as its somewhere in that general direction. You’re prisoner number 20202.

So what’s your story?

Psst! Yummy’s more political readers will be glad to hear that Chapel Furnace has reopened, and is even better than before!

You will find stuff like this there:

CIA plans to purge its agency
“The White House has ordered the new CIA director, Porter Goss, to purge the agency of officers believed to have been disloyal to President George W. Bush or of leaking damaging information to the media about the conduct of the Iraq war and the hunt for Osama bin Laden, according to knowledgeable sources.”

“If you’re not being persecuted for your Christianity, then you’re doing something wrong.”
“It starts with the fact that we as conservative Christians are taught to see America as our land. I mean, you guys in Europe and the loonies on the East and West Coasts think the Founding Fathers died to bring us religious freedom. They so did not. They died to give new Christianity a place where it could flourish.

Conservative beliefs do not spread because of ignorance. You must understand this. Conservative beliefs spread because of a need in the conservative church to emphasize that if you are not fighting, you are losing the battle for spiritual warfare.

Bush did not win the election based on ignorance and stupidity. He won the election based on a belief system that has been determinedly advancing across the country because Christians believe it is their spiritual duty to bring people to Christ. And you cannot be successfully brought to Christ until you also commit to serving Christ.”

You’ve got to check it out!

World Vision: Alternative Wedding Gift Catalogue

With couples now often already having a full set of household appliances before they marry, Wedding Lists have changed. This means World Vision’s range of Alternative Wedding Gifts will suit every couple and every budget. And help change the lives of some of the world’s poorest children and families.

“We felt that as we already have so much, that we wanted to use the Alternative Gift Catalogue as part of our wedding list to help change the life of a family or child overseas who don’t even have the basics of life. Our guests thought it was a fantastic and unique idea - and are sure to use the catalogue for gifts again!”
~ Ed & Katy Perrett

I wish we’d thought of this… I dread to think of all the expensive stuff generously given to us that’s been sitting in storage for years in South Africa. I remember how we scratched our heads thinking of things we didn’t already have as family insisted on a wedding list, as they do. What a waste.

Boerewors Treffers!! SA radio gag mp3
(Thanks Fly!)

Desmond Tutu joins the Million Faces
Archbishop Desmond Tutu adds his voice to the call for an international Arms Trade Treaty and joins Joe Fiennes, Dido, Salif Diao and thousands of others in the Million Faces gallery.
Video: Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the need for a global Arms Trade Treaty (Real Player required)
Famous Faces »
Add your face »

Control Arms
By 2020, the number of deaths and injuries from war and violence will overtake the number of deaths caused by killer diseases such as malaria and measles.

In the first year over 200,000 people from around the world joined the call for tough controls on the international arms trade. With the UK Government recently adding its support, eight governments have now publicly pledged to establish the Arms Trade Treaty. The growing momentum behind the campaign is helping to make the Arms Trade Treaty a reality. More »

Control Arms is a campaign jointly run by Amnesty International, IANSA and Oxfam

USS Montana (2.5MB Windows Media)
heheh! Thanks Graham.

Islam Online News
“A few hours before the massive onslaught, US forces seized the Fallujah hospital and barred doctors from doing their job.

“US occupation forces stormed the hospital I was working for in Fallujah, detaining and opening fire on medical teams,” said a doctor, who only identified himself as Rafae. “I had to hide my profession to avoid being killed or detained,” he said. “I opened up a house clinic but I have not enough medicine or antiseptics to make first aid,” he added.

Ali Abbas, a doctor besieged by US forces in Fallujah, said in a desperate appeal to Al-Jazeera Satellite TV that the city has turned into a “massive grave”. “Dead bodies are everywhere, and we could not evacuate them. No water, no electricity. We appeal to the world to help us,” Abbas cried in the appeal, carried by Al-Jazeera.”

Scotsman News: Fallujah turned into disaster area
“AID workers yesterday warned that four days of fighting had turned the city of Fallujah into a disaster area, with water and electricity cut off and the stench of dead bodies permeating the air.”

Thousands are still trapped inside their homes, unable to get out. US military commanders say civilian casualties have been low, but that is disputed by residents, who describe incidents in which non-combatants, including women and children, have been killed by shrapnel or hit by bombs.

Scores of buildings in Fallujah have been completely destroyed, with TV footage showing some districts all but levelled. Water and electricity have been shut off for days and food shops have been closed, residents say.

“Anyone who gets injured is likely to die, because there’s no medicine and they can’t get to doctors,” said Abdul-Hameed Salim, a volunteer with the Red Crescent. “There are snipers everywhere. Go outside and you’re going to get shot.”

“There’s no water. People are drinking dirty water. Children are dying. People are eating flour because there’s no proper food,” Rasoul Ibrahim, a father of three.

A while back I blogged Doggles from FireBox.
Well they now have an official Doggles website. Only for cool dogs!
(Thanks Pieter)

Oxfam Unwrapped!
A totally different Christmas gift catalogue

I’ve been meaning to blog this for ages. Its such a clever and unique idea! Lots of life-changing gifts to suit every budget. Here are some examples I liked:

£10 - Brood of 10 chickens
£15 - A school desk and chair
£24 - Starter pack of seeds and tools
£25 - Feed a family for 1 month
£35 - Small business training
£35 - Food for 1 orphan for 6 months
£64 - Train a farmer
£100 - 6 months of basic medicines for a whole village
£1640 - Build a classroom
£2160 - Water tank (45,000 litres, 3,000 people per day)

All you have to do is buy one, Oxfam will take care of the rest.

Stop phone spam!

Telephone Preference Service (UK)
This is a central opt out register where you can specify your wish not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls to any of your phone numbers. It is a legal requirement that companies do not make such calls to numbers registered on the CTPS.

Brilliant!

‘Enquiries from Americans wanting to move to remote New Zealand have skyrocketed since George W Bush was re-elected president of the United States.
The Immigration Service website had 10 300 hits from the United States the day after the election, compared to the daily norm of 2 500.”

Phones at the Immigration Service offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland have been ringing constantly since the vote outcome, Marketing Manager Don Badman told the Dominion Post newspaper on Saturday. There have been up to 300 telephone calls and emails a day compared to six-to-eight calls a day before the election. “It’s exploded. It really started picking up from 23:00 the night of the election,” he said.’
(Thanks Eon)

HAHAHAHA! Cats are so stupid! But I love em. Thanks Kennee!
(Windows Media 2.71MB)