Spacecraft to change asteroid's tragectory

Science!

Afghanistan pavilion at Expo 2020

I want to go to Dubai so badly to see all 192 pavilions. Afghanistan's slogan is: 

A journey through ancient cultures and modern successes

Because the Taliban took over unexpectedly, the pavilion does not fly a flag. And the exhibit was cobbled together last minute from a rich expat's private collection.

Hong Kong snooze bus

 

The most frequently-cited state in each state's restaurant names

 

African rivers

 

Tomorrow Never Dies movie review

In this Brosnan flick, Red China is the frenemy!

Dave's review: Tomorrow Never Dies starts off with a bang, with an edge of your seat pre credits sequence illustrating 007's faithfulness to his mission at all costs. In many ways it all goes downhill from there. Part of the problem is that the main villain Elliot Carver, played by Jonathan Pryce, is a cartoonish megalomaniac that you never take very seriously. Later on, the film throws at you one action set piece after another, including a motorcycle chase that literally never seems to end. Michelle Yeoh is a breath of fresh air and her martial arts sequences are one of the highlights of the film, but the chemistry between her and Brosnan is a bit lacking. It's a shame Teri Hatcher wasn't in more of the film. She was compelling and the backstory between her and Bond was one of the only parts of the film to feature genuine drama.

Dave's grade: C-

 

TT's review: First, the good. The movie coincided with the handover of Hong Kong back to China. It was the unofficial end of the British Empire. The conflict between China and Britain was certainly topical, but I don't think anyone back in 1997 could have predicted the quick ascendency of China. Another good was Elliot Carver the villain. Was his media company based in part on Fox News, which was founded in 1996?

Now, the bad. Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh had zero chemistry. Don't get me wrong, I am all for casting a strong Asian woman, but the pair were just going through the motions. It was almost depressing.

TT's grade: B

Dave's reaction: Great observation about the Fox News parallel. 

TT's reaction: Agreed, no chemistry!

Rate Tomorrow Never Dies.

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) September 26, 2021

US pandemic in 60 seconds

Eating the Globe: Marshall Islands

Last night, I made this cherry tomato and coconut milk soup. The recipe called for the soup to be blended, but I was too tired and the kids were too hungry so I skipped the step. I also do not enjoy cleaning the blender. 

I need to cook more so I think the next dish will be a chicken entree from Belarus.

Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City

North America: Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, St Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, USA

South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga

Kabul today

I check on this YouTube channel once in a while. The guy shoots 4K video of random street scenes in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Vettel and Stroll drive Bond's Aston

 Has anyone seen the new movie yet? Is it good?

World's oldest flight attendant

 

How deep is the ocean?

If you were to drop a pebble over the Mariana Trench, it would take an hour to reach the sea floor.

Goldeneye movie review

Pretty boy Pierce Brosnan debuts as Bond!

Dave's review: The problem with GoldenEye, for me, was the friendship between Bond and 006. I never really bought it. And because the movie focused so much on it, it affected the entire experience for me. That being said, it is a very fun movie with great set pieces and an excellent underrated score by Eric Serra. Having Judi Dench play M was a nice and very welcome twist for the franchise. And Brosnan certainly fit the part. I mean he just looks like who you expect James Bond to be! I can't help but think though that the generally rave reviews for GoldenEye were due to the fact that it came after License to Kill. Overall still, a good and much needed reboot for the franchise. 

Dave's grade: B

TT's review: Excellent on so many levels. This might be one of the best all around Bond films. First of all, Brosnan is a handsome dude. Sean Bean played an excellent villain. The tank scene was 100. What I enjoyed the most was how topical the movie was, to wit:

-end of Cold War

-Moneypenny brings up workplace sexual harassment 

-Judy Dench as the female boss calling Bond a dinosaur

-free-for-all Yeltsin Russia

-THE INTERNET

My only complaint is Xenia Onatopp. Not a believable character.

TT's grade: A

Dave's reaction: I think some might actually say that Brosnan is too much of a pretty boy to play Bond. The Cold War stuff was cool though. 

TT's reaction: Bond's friendship with 006 was strange, but then again, Bond quit his job to avenge Felix's near death in the last movie.

Rate Goldeneye.

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) September 25, 2021

What Japanese think of Europeans

 

I just discovered Futurama

A friend just introduced me to the show. Better late than never! I am almost done with the first season. It's so creative, smart, and different.

A day in the life of a Japanese mechanic

 This is an excellent series about everyday Japanese workers.

Fertility rates over past 200 years

 

How countries voted to end Cuban embargo

 

Neanderthal in suit

 

Eating the Globe: Benin

With Vanuatu kava the last "food" I can get from a Bay Area "restaurant", I will have to cook the rest of the meals for the series at home. Over the weekend, I watched a thought provoking 4-episode series called High On the Hog.

I made a chicken dish that came from the author of High On the Hog. Because the kids were going to eat it, I didn't put any spice in, which made it bland.

Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City

North America: Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, St Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, USA

South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga

Earth's surface

 

Countries that produced energy from wind