Thinking About Carrots

Apparently carrots have a compound called falcarinol in them which has anti cancer properties and we should boil them whole before cutting them up to keep the levels of this compound high, which is all to the good but has me wondering what to do with the carrots once I have cooked them.

Not so long ago I read that you should remove the skin from carrots before eating them, so every time I’ve had fresh carrots since that’s what I’ve been doing, the article said that this part of the carrot absorbed a high percentage of any chemicals that where used in its production so it was best to get rid of this.

Fine, but now I’m thinking it must be best to keep the skin on to keep the falcarinol which leaves me with hot carrots to peel, could have them cold I suppose or go organic but organic does not always seem to be organic from what I read too. I might just go to bog standard tins maybe all the chemicals will get busy fighting each other and leave me be. Cant help thinking all this isn’t doing much for the fight against convenience food.

The Gold Vending Machine

Somebody somewhere is rubbing their hands together, the guys and/or gals who thought this one up must be thinking they are blessed. it’s the timing I’m referring to with this more than anything as gold isn’t exactly unpopular anyway, I assume it must have been on the agenda for a while, being planned out, machines built etc but with the onset of present times, placing vending machines that sell gold by the oz in an airport etc seems like a licence to print money, cant believe its not been done before, on mass I mean, although I would not be surprised to learn that Monaco or somewhere has had one for years. Again I may be a little late with this but I write as I hear of these things and in global fiscal strife it does make you wonder what an extraterrestrial might make of a man or woman queuing at the gold machine while complaining about hard times.

You’re Security with a Bit of Therapy

In “I am a Rich Man Though not really“, I wrote about the abundance of paper that we are supposed  to shred or discard with care in the name of safe guarding our security, financial details etc. Now something has occurred to me that although it sounds a bit daft actually works. Now I have been shredding as stated before and I suppose without discipline leave things until I have a box full of the stuff to shift somehow, as I said before if I had a garden I would burn it all but I don’t and as it is I have been spending the best part of a day shredding this lot before now.

A couple of days ago I had a sink full of soapy water and saw one of  the carrier bags with some of the paper accumulated over the past few weeks and I just chucked it all in the water let it all soak for a couple of minutes and then began to rip it all into shreds in the sink, this was therapeutic and  easy to do, the paper pulping easily, it took less time and all the ripped, pulped bits of receipts, statements old bills and bits with my name and address on squeezed nicely into a pulpy ball. No large extra bags of paper tumbleweed just a hand sized mushy ball.

Save on bin bags and maybe if those washing up liquid TV ads we see are correct be kind to your hands. If the ball contains what was a red bill or a nasty letter from your bank as an added bit of therapy the ball could be dipped and moulded into a football with some water based glue, left to dry hard and kicked about your garden or park for a couple of hours, job done. Though I would recommend heavy shoes for this and don’t litter your park with the ball as any fine will undo all the good and you will have another piece of paper to get rid of.  I imagine a ball made with old parking tickets might become a thing of beauty.

Short the week that was 15/06/2009

Funny how a TV series can capture peoples imagination, hopes even. I read another article that compares the fictional Jed Bartlet (West Wing) to President Obhama only without the scripts, even those with different views on how to go about things without grudging respect.

Back home Banksy the street artist wafts in like the Scarlet Pimpernel and puts on a show of his work, secrecy abounds, our politicians struggle with the words “cut” and “Cuts” as if their lives depended on it and the media training shines through, as the papers, TV and radio tries to winkle the words out of them, the ultimate prize, still 0-0 on that one I think.

Gordon Brown says “You’re hired” to Sir Alan Sugar who says something like “this ain’t cricket” as a stormy tea cup rages over whether he should accept, stay with the BBC or go to ITV. Last but by no means least  a mother who has stashed 200.000 (to 1 million, varied reports) in cash in her old mattress comes home one day to find it gone, replaced by her well meaning daughter, trips to the rubbish tip are still going on at time of writing I think

Suffering From a Touch of the Poet

A Stroll One day

While strolling along the natural hood
While under the influence of Robin that stood
For the freedom of all and the feeding of any
Unfortunate enough to not have a penny

Penny it was that I strolled with that day
The woman with Eve on her shoulder I,d say
Earth moving over and out of the way
As I held to good manners as best was my way
It was the fear that bade me beg her to stay
This Penny the girl that was making my day

Remember that churchyard, you could soon be that way
No waiting allowed I promise away
The promise I make with fingers crossed
Hoping to cover the feeling of loss
Away the girl went and away she did stay
A gift of illusion, turning to grey
I,m glad to have known you with feathers so bright
Eve keeping yours days covered in light

The Cows Have Eyes

While not having any claim to fame it was nice to discover that T.S Elliot shared a feeling on cows that I do, i.e.: they give me the willies. For me I understand it as guilt, that wide eyed stare that says “you had my dad for dinner and drank my babies milk”.

Mind you, think on, the cow is quite a feat of natural genetic engineering,  how can they be so happy and get so big on eating grass all day?, no mustard, ketchup, chips  or anything. Lastly on this subject I don’t think those adverts with cows chasing our milk buying public is helping much on that score (shiver). Here is a poem wat I wrote.

The cow it stood in the big garden wood
Munching the grass as all cows should
It leaves a message or two here and there
The smell I fear is hard to bare
I do however partake of the milk
The meat of her daddy, the butter of silk
I am sorry for this when she gives me that stare
It isn’t as if I do not care

Mother Nature and Plastic

Today I have learned of the oceanic gyre, currents that slowly circulate in a ring trapping our garbage, the North Pacific gyre.  Plastic being the main ingredient of this six million ton island (said to be twice the size of Texas), the mind boggles.

Nature finds a way, says Ive done my bit now you do yours and get rid of this stuff please, of course I have heard and read things about all sorts going into the sea but the scale is hard to get your head round, kind of like when you hear space is infinite. Apparently this was only discovered in 1997 as navigators I have read tend to avoid these areas as they lack beneficial winds and currents. The oceanographer that discovered all this also discovered that plastic breaks down into miniscule pieces which I have read called “tear drops” and “chips” and that these outnumber plankton by six to one in this area, these “chips” absorb various toxins get bigger and get eaten by fish who in turn get eaten and so on, the mans name is Charles Moore and he is of the opinion that the cost of cleaning this up is prohibitive for any country.

It seems to be accepted that getting rid of the small pieces is impossible but others are at least going to try and trawl out the bigger bits while trying to keep the catch of sea life to a minimum using special nets. Plus as well they are taking “technologies” that can convert thin plastic into diesel, to power the vessel, I didn’t even know this was possible, its possible with hard plastics too as read which is the only positive point I can glean from all this, and the fact that someone is going to try.

A New Pie Is Discovered

So, already we have been persuaded to part with cash for a bottle of water, readily available through our taps, I buy them too but more for thirst when out than any other reason, when of course with a little planning I could fill a bottle at home and take it out with me. My thinking for the following was whether we might be persuaded to buy empty pies.

A New Pie Is Discovered

A new idea in pies is to be on our supermarket shelves soon, the Emptavian Humble Pie Made in the Emptavian Alps is said to be highly nutritious and beneficial to health. The pie a culmination of 20 years research by food industry experts employed by a conglomerate of well known chain stores is said to be coming in the nick of time by the industry after 2 years of strife caused by alleged misleading labelling.

The pies are said to be “light, crisp mineral air encased in a crispy crumb pastry” optional gravy and sauces being available. If the pies take off we could see the introduction of “the ultimate in slimming and health pies and maybe even novelty pies”. The idea being to encase the smells of say chicken and mushroom in with the mineral air, “as aids to slimming and health they could mark a real revolution in thinking” the press release says. As a joke I remark that the pies could have novelty toys or messages in them making a representatives eyes light up, “interesting”, he remarks.

Not everyone is so enthusiastic however The Human United and National Group for Real Indigestion (H.U.N.G.R.I) says “it is preposterous to imagine such a product would be beneficial in any way”. Understandably the slimming industry is none to pleased either and this reporter overheard one of their representatives asking colleagues “why did we not think of this?”.

Officially their spokesman exclaimed that the rival experts were “full of hot air”. Only time will tell of course but at time of writing many food manufacturers are clamouring for a piece of the Emptavian Humble Pie Made in the Emptavian Alps.

Something Stirs In My PC World (Pun Intended)

I am worried as my Political Correctness meter seems to be faulty. In this case I am referring to the fact that schools primary and upwards want to change their names to “places of learning” etc, the usual mini uproar from  MP’s and prominent people in the educational world abounds but I have to say in my opinion that I don’t think it’s a bad idea. The trouble is if asked I would struggle to tell you why I think this, so after a little thought in empty bits over the weekend this is how I have explained this position to myself.

At first I considered whether it might just be brainwashing the slow indoctrination of this is how it’s going to be so get used to it but that would involve me agreeing with everything that happens concerning Political Correctness which I don’t so that’s out the window. The best I’m afraid I can come up with is that I don’t like the word “school” it seems tired and old for today as a title, as a word for everyday speech “I’m going to school” is fine but as a title for somewhere that will help shape the future a “place of learning” has the edge for me.  We must not forget either that school buildings whether they be titled, colleges, university or whatever are increasingly being used for learning in the evening as well as all day, as meeting places, for sport and activities for all ages and that it is Government policy for them to do so.  No bad thing as long as they get the resources to do it all, so that’s it, all I have for that one but in case you think I am going soft below is a little thing I wrote a couple of months ago entitled EU Bid to Rename Banana.

EU Bid to Rename Banana

A row broke out yesterday over EU plans to rename the Banana. It all started with an EU delegate making a complaint about the remuneration growers receive in his country despite the existence of  Fair trade  policies.

“This is a long standing argument within the community,” says Euro MP John Tango. “I’m afraid most of us when attending summits have been pulling one of the delegates leg quite a bit, emails and so on. It’s his name you see, Mr Ege Custardez.”

As a little bit of retaliation Mr Custardez entered an item on to a minor meeting, a proposal to rename the banana “Curvy Bunlow”. A couple of minutes of laughter were expected, a pulling of the leg returned. This was until a lawyer pointed out that if the banana was renamed Mr Custardez could basically request a review of everything banana, including trade, as if it were a newly discovered fruit.

Mr Custardez is now seriously thinking about pursuing this route “I have a responsibility to the people I represent and if this is the only way I  can make progress….well.”

Curiosity, DNA and the Mammoth

So it seems we may really be getting closer to that Jurassic Park moment. Mammoth come on down, I don’t think we can stop this happening or at least people trying. Even with great chunks of DNA missing someone is going to work out a way to plug the gaps. I’m referring to a short news item I saw last night where It was declared it could well be possible in the future to clone in this case a Mammoth, this seems to me to be a softening up process the first Jurassic Park film was quite a while ago now and the media at the time featured those in the know saying it could never happen.

Curiosity is the word here I think despite all common sense I really would like to see a T-Rex or Raptor though I would not want to apply for the keepers job, in that scenario the advert would say “only those with lion and or tiger experience need apply, uniform, rifle and underwear supplied, timewasters will be eaten”. The contract to build the electric titanium cages would be given to the lowest bidder and the electricity supplied by a solar farm and a man peddling a bicycle connected to a dynamo in the evenings, Tour De France competitors would train through the night as and when they pleased. A disgruntled employee sells dinosaur eggs to a terrorist organisation, and is eaten before he can spend the money, hang on that bit is sounding familiar.

A Mammoth although interesting was as far as I know a very large elephant with big hair, seen it, albeit in a smaller bald version. I suppose a Mammoth could be used as a kind of environmentally sound fork lift truck with something to help the roses grow, it wouldn’t be the first time life imitated art or perhaps it was the other way round, whatever.