i3 is the weekend after.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Chichicastenango, Guatemala, 1963 versus 2008
1963:
From my 2008 bus trip from San Diego to Guatemala. It was a bit more crowded. 20 buses carrying tourists were parked behind the church. I watched a funeral procession slowly carry a casket with a small child inside through the market. The church sat on the ruins of a Mayan temple, and exuded a mysterious, ancient vibe. Notice the smoke on the steps, just like in the video.
From my 2008 bus trip from San Diego to Guatemala. It was a bit more crowded. 20 buses carrying tourists were parked behind the church. I watched a funeral procession slowly carry a casket with a small child inside through the market. The church sat on the ruins of a Mayan temple, and exuded a mysterious, ancient vibe. Notice the smoke on the steps, just like in the video.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
The New York liberal bubble
People outside the U.S.: What is your country's reaction to Trump's Muslim ban?
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Eating the Globe: Nicaragua
Success! Finally!
I had a great Nicaraguan lunch today. It's in the Mission District in San Francisco. Though the area has gentrified recently, there is still a very strong Mexican and Central American presence. This place is much nicer than the holes-in-the-wall joints. It's brightly lit, clean, nicely decorated.
I got combo number one, which had a lot of everything. The cashier was a 50- or 60-something Nicaraguan with Asian features. Definitely Chinese. Probably the owner. As I type this, it just came to me that my office building's security guard is a Chinese Nicaraguan named Leo. At first, I thought he was Filipino. Nope. His father is Chinese and his mother is Nicaraguan.
Back to the meal. The food took a while and I practically finished this bottle of beer while waiting.
The wait was worth it. The pork on the left and the beef on the right were cooked and seasoned perfectly. I discovered another substantial chunk of beef hiding underneath the salad. The meat was not the highest in quality, but was nevertheless very tasty. On the very top was a piece of fried cheese. Underneath that cheese were two fried plantains. Underneath those plantains were banana chips. The rice and beans were also full of flavor. The jar on the side contained chopped pickled onions.
I am making good progress. Locally, I can still do Uzbek, Cuban, Icelandic, Austrian, Syrian, Iraqi, Ukrainian, Sri Lankan, Bolivian, Barbadian, Senegalese, Cameroonian, Swiss, Dutch, Romanian, Tunisian, and North Korean.
Rchen asked for a Top 5/Bottom 5 list of the meals I've had so far. It's really hard to say one is better than another. Please also note that this is just a subjective ranking of the specific meals I ate; the ranking is not intended to declare which country has the better cuisine. For example, I may have had a bad meal at a crappy Chinese restaurant. That does not mean Chinese food in general is bad.
Top 5: Eritrea (very homey), Nicaragua (robust), Armenia (succulent), Fiji (improv-y), Argentina (MEATY)
Bottom 5: Bhutan (too sour), Venezuela (dirty), Samoa (gross), Great Britain (not great), Philippines (hard meat)
Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Belize, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Eating the Globe: Belize
This was an unusual meal.
I had to go to court this morning for a routine hearing. The highlight was seeing another lawyer bring his dog into the courtroom. I don't think it was a therapy dog. I think it was just his pet. San Francisco is a very open-minded place.
The hearing ended early and it was the first dry day in a long time, so I walked over a mile to a Caribbean place that served Belizean burritos. I paid for it with a foot blister from walking in my dress shoes.
As a former British colony, I don't know how burritos ended up in Belize (formerly British Honduras). Is it a Mexican influence? Or gringo tourists?
Here are the ingredients, per the menu:
Sautéed fresh spinach with Bay shrimp, cumin rice, garlic yogurt sauce & salsa fresca. Served with black beans
It was so-so. I couldn't eat it with my hand because the water from the beans soaked the tortilla. So I had to eat it with a knife and fork. Very civilized.
Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Belize, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
I had to go to court this morning for a routine hearing. The highlight was seeing another lawyer bring his dog into the courtroom. I don't think it was a therapy dog. I think it was just his pet. San Francisco is a very open-minded place.
The hearing ended early and it was the first dry day in a long time, so I walked over a mile to a Caribbean place that served Belizean burritos. I paid for it with a foot blister from walking in my dress shoes.
As a former British colony, I don't know how burritos ended up in Belize (formerly British Honduras). Is it a Mexican influence? Or gringo tourists?
Here are the ingredients, per the menu:
Sautéed fresh spinach with Bay shrimp, cumin rice, garlic yogurt sauce & salsa fresca. Served with black beans
It was so-so. I couldn't eat it with my hand because the water from the beans soaked the tortilla. So I had to eat it with a knife and fork. Very civilized.
Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Belize, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
Monday, January 23, 2017
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Tom Mayer's car art
I came across this guy's work today. I'm going to ask him to do my old Impulse and Phaeton. We'll see how they turn out.
Old UN documents
A friend at the UN was going to dump out a bunch of booklets so he sent these to me.
Friday, January 20, 2017
This Is Fine
I am coping by listening to 80s music by day and watching old episodes of Cheers by night.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Antarctic marathon
I can't decide if this is amazing or ridiculous.
I saw a tweet today of a woman with cancer running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents. 7 continents? Did she set up a personal marathon along the Antarctic coast? No.
There is actually an Antarctic marathon and it's held annually at Union Glacier, a privately run tourist camp at almost 80 degrees south. It's serviced by Il-76s. You have to watch this video.
I saw a tweet today of a woman with cancer running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents. 7 continents? Did she set up a personal marathon along the Antarctic coast? No.
There is actually an Antarctic marathon and it's held annually at Union Glacier, a privately run tourist camp at almost 80 degrees south. It's serviced by Il-76s. You have to watch this video.
What's more, there is an outfit that will let you do 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents for 36,000 euros (which is much less than I thought it would cost). The itinerary:
| 18-Jan | Arrive at Punta Arenas, Chile |
| 19-Jan | Pre-Departure Briefings for Antarctica |
| 20-Jan | Flight to Marathon location at Union Glacier, Antarctica |
| 21-Jan | Antarctic Acclimatisation |
| 22-Jan | Cold Weather Gear Testing |
| 23-Jan | Marathon in Antarctica + Flight to Punta Arenas |
| 24-Jan | Marathon in Punta Arenas + Flight to Miami |
| 25-Jan | Marathon in Miami + Flight to Madrid |
| 26-Jan | Marathon in Madrid + Flight to Marrakech |
| 27-Jan | Marathon in Marrakech + Flight to Dubai |
| 28-Jan | Marathon in Dubai + Flight to Sydney |
| 29-Jan | Marathon in Sydney + Celebration |
| 30-Jan | Rest & Relaxation |
| 31-Jan | Free to Return Home |
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Monday, January 16, 2017
It's Bottas!
Hamilton will obviously be the No 1 driver on the team. Any predictions? Will the other teams catch up?
Eating the Globe: Bhutan
I got the Number 23, the Jashaa Maroo, at a Himalayan restaurant in Berkeley. The place has pretty good reviews. I got an Indian beer, served with ice cubes. I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing or if they were just trying to cool room temperature beer. We also got chicken momos (dumplings) and garlic naan, which were tasty. But my entree was sour and I'm not a fan of brown rice. I couldn't finish it.
Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Former Uzbek dictator's daughter music video with Depardieu
This was made in 2012, when she was extremely corrupt and still in the graces of her late father, Islam Karimov. At some point, when the people and her father were sick and tired of her, she disappeared. She just re-appeared, apparently still under house arrest, in Uzbekistan.
North Koreans try American BBQ for the first time
I don't like BBQ sauce either. It might be a pan-Asian thing.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Eating the Globe: Belgium
I went to a Belgian bar/restaurant for dinner last night. The bar had a sizable variety of Belgian beers on tap. Because it was nearly deserted, I got to sample a bunch of them, one thimbleful at a time.
When we sat down for dinner, there were no other dining customers. Not a good sign. By the time we ordered, two mothers with screaming young children decided to sit at the table next to us. Great.
I got the Chicken Waterzooi. It's a creamy chicken soup with carrots and leaks. It was a bit too salty.
Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Honda Riding Assist self-balancing motorcycle
From Wired:
Unlike the Segway and BMW’s Motorrad Vision concept motorcycle, Honda’s “Riding Assist” tech doesn’t rely on heavy gyroscopes to balance itself. It instead uses tech derived from the balancing systems in its Asimo robot and Uni-Cub electric mobility scooter, developed at its Silicon Valley R&D center.
Honda uses an electronic steer-by-wire system that disengages the handlebars from the front forks at speeds below 3 mph, passing control of the front wheel to the computer. The bike senses lean angles and swings the wheel to either side, thousands of times per second, to counteract any tendency tip over. It also adjusts the angles of the front forks, lowering the bike’s center of gravity to improve stability.
End of an era
"To Joe Biden, the scrappy kid from Scranton who became Delaware’s favorite son: you were the first decision I made as a nominee & the best" pic.twitter.com/rAExHaRuc7— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 11, 2017
Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire (1989)
Billy Joel needs to do a new version of this song.
Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The Rye
Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The Rye
Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, "Rock Around the Clock"
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, "Rock Around the Clock"
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Zhou Enlai, Bridge On The River Kwai
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather Homicide, Children of Thalidomide
Buddy Holly, Ben-Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo
Sputnik, Zhou Enlai, Bridge On The River Kwai
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather Homicide, Children of Thalidomide
Buddy Holly, Ben-Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson
Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say?
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson
Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say?
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide
Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law
Rock and Roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide
Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law
Rock and Roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on...
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on...
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
Monday, January 09, 2017
Bhutanese refugees
When I heard about Bhutanese refugees on the radio, I was confused. I had always assumed Bhutan was a small, homogeneous utopia. I was wrong.
In the early 1990s, over 100,000 Nepalese speaking Bhutanese fled Bhutan. That's one in six residents. Most ended up in Nepalese refugee camps. Currently, over 66,000 reside in America. Who knew?
More background info here.
In the early 1990s, over 100,000 Nepalese speaking Bhutanese fled Bhutan. That's one in six residents. Most ended up in Nepalese refugee camps. Currently, over 66,000 reside in America. Who knew?
More background info here.
Eating the Globe: Update
I'm catching a second wind!
I can still go to more places:
Nicaraguan https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-tazumal-san-rafael
Austrian https://www.yelp.com/biz/leopolds-san-francisco-2
Cameroonian https://www.yelp.com/biz/a-taste-of-africa-oakland
Senegalese https://www.yelp.com/biz/bissap-baobab-oakland-oakland
Iraqi https://www.yelp.com/biz/jannah-san-francisco-3
Icelandic https://www.yelp.com/biz/katys-kreek-walnut-creek
Romanian https://www.yelp.com/biz/sauls-restaurant-and-delicatessen-berkeley
Tunisian https://www.yelp.com/biz/sauls-restaurant-and-delicatessen-berkeley
Bhutanese https://www.yelp.com/biz/himalayan-flavors-berkeley
Belgian https://www.yelp.com/biz/bel-san-francisco
Sunday, January 08, 2017
Ford RS200
I had never heard of this car until I read about it in high school in a book called The World's Fastest Cars. The Group B rally version went from 0 to 60 in less than three seconds! How was that possible?
Here is one for sale.
H/t to Zona Rapida for inspiring this post. Here are a couple of fun RS200 videos.
Saturday, January 07, 2017
Eating the Globe: Poland
Another country down. I picked up a package of pierogis at Ted's Delikatessen, an Eastern European market run by Ted, a Pole. I told him about my quest and he's happy to help.
Not being familiar with Eastern European food at all, I asked Ted if I should just eat the pierogis with sour cream. He said no. I should instead eat them with fried onions and bacon.
So this is the result. The pierogis were mild in flavor and the skin had the exact consistency and dimensions as Chinese dumplings.
I also bought a big package of Romanian casing-less sausages. There is a picture on the package and I am going to try to replicate it. Raw tomatoes, onions, etc. I also found a great Seychelles recipe online.
Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga