>>24<<

Gutted R.I.P Blanche

Coronation Street actor Maggie Jones, who played sharp-tongued Blanche Hunt, has died at the age of 75.The much-loved star, who first appeared in the show 35 years ago, died this morning in hospital.Jones was forced to pull out of filming on the ITV1 soap in October after being admitted to hospital for major surgery.The Rada graduate won several comedy awards for playing Blanche, although she only became a regular cast member in 1999, 25 years after her first appearance on the soap.The actor also appeared in many well-known TV programmes over the course of her five-decade career, including Z Cars, Heartbeat, Peak Practice, Dalziel and Pascoe.A publicist for the show confirmed she had died at the Salford royal hospital.The spokeswoman said: “Maggie had been making a slow recovery but her condition deteriorated early Wednesday morning and she passed away peacefully in her sleep.”Long-standing Coronation Street star William Roache (Ken Barlow) led the tributes to his late colleague.

He said: “Maggie was a big part of the Barlow family and a brilliant actress. She was a tower of strength, physically frail but mentally strong as an ox and sharp as someone half her age.”She had an amazing dry wit and was as funny if not funnier than Blanche. We were great crossword partners, we sat through Tracy’s trial scenes doing the crossword together.”He added: “I don’t think Maggie ever realised how much she was loved not only by everyone on the show but by the millions of Blanche fans out there. She will be greatly missed.”Details of the actor’s funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised.Jones appeared in more than 830 episodes of Coronation Street.Programme bosses wrote her character out of the show to allow her to recover from her illness and producer Kim Crowther had recently spoken of how they were looking forward to her return.She made her TV debut on the show in the early 1960s as a policewoman, and later returned as a shoplifter.More than a decade later, she was back to play Blanche, the second actress to take the role following the death of Patricia Cutts.

Advent Calendars

Having bought Princess a Simpsons advent Calendar for a laugh I was jogged into remembering advent calendars of my youth…How dull were they….just 2 layers of card stuck together with doors on…but for some reason it was quite an even every morning opening a door and finding a badly drawn Robin or a Bauble…Kids today would be gutter….I can hear them kicking off now…wheres the Chocolate !!!!!!…and a bad mood for the rest of the day…what was so good about a picture of a candle…god I was easily pleased !!!

The only comeback I have is that we gained in two other departments…selection boxes used to have games on the back that involved you cutting out a spinning counter thingy….but the big one for me is that kids no longer have the pleasure of choking on the plastic toys in cereal packets…Cornflakes just arent fun anymore !!

The world’s most expensive advent calendar contains hand-made organic chocolates and is made from ethically sourced wood

It costs more than the average Britain earns in a year and is the most expensive Advent calendar ever to go on sale. The bespoke creation, carved from burr elm and walnut wood, is available from the Candy Room at Harrods for £30,000. It stands at four-feet tall and has 24 compartments concealed in the fronds of its Christmas tree shape. Rather than a picture of a star or a snowman fashioned from insipid chocolate, this calendar will give a luxury hit every day of December. Each drawer is filled with Green & Black’s organic chocolate, nine hand-made by the Head of Taste, Micah Carr-Hill. The calendar may appear to be the pinnacle of excessive opulence but it is also the ethical A-lister’s dream. The wood has been sourced from sustainable forests and the proceeds from the sale of the calendar will go to Green & Black’s Maya Gold project, which supports cocoa farmers in Belize. Micah Carr-Hill said: “I’ve created what I believe to be the perfect chocolate collection for Christmas time with the right balance of flavours. “Whoever buys the calendar will not only have 24 wonderful treats this Christmas, but a stunningly unique seasonal heirloom which can be handed down for many generations to come.”….Go on…tell me…what sort of Kn*b Head pays £30,000 for an advent Calendar.

Rather Than Spend £30,000 You Will Get Far More Pleasure Making Your Own

A New Page On My Blog  Amazing 3D Tattoos

Tubes

Renault and Ford are working on a new small car for women.

They are mixing the Clio and the Taurus, and calling it the “Clitaurus.”  It comes in pink and the average male thief won’t be able to find it, even if someone tells him where it is.

Odd

Ex-Miss Argentina dies after cosmetic surgery

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – A 38-year-old former Miss Argentina has died from complications after undergoing cosmetic surgery on her buttocks. Solange Magnano, a mother of twins who won the crown in 1994, died of a pulmonary embolism Sunday after three days in critical condition following a gluteoplasty in Buenos Aires. Close friend Roberto Piazza said the procedure involved injections and the liquid “went to her lungs and brain.” “A woman who had everything lost her life to have a slightly firmer behind,” he said. Magnano’s burial Monday was shown on Argentine television. Dr. Gonzalo Cortes y Tristan said she arrived at his hospital with an acute respiratory deficiency. Her condition deteriorated until she suffered the embolism.

Ooops

Todays WTF !!!

This Will Stun You

Why Would You Do This To Yourself

Another Darwin Award

Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it.

Oops

(12 April 2008, Florida) Traffic was moving slowly on southbound I-95. Shawn Montero had left a Pompano Beach bar with three friends, and now all four were stuck in traffic. You don’t buy beer, you just rent it, and Shawn couldn’t wait another moment to relieve himself. “I need to take a leak.” Traffic was deadlocked, so the waterlogged man climbed out, put his hand on the divider, and jumped over the low concrete wall… only to fall 65 feet to his death.”He probably thought there was a road, but there wasn’t,” said a Fort Lauderdale police spokesman. His mother shared her thoughts. “Shawn didn’t do a whole lot for a living. He got along on his charm, just like his father.”Though his death was tragic, it proves the old adage. “Look before you leak!”

I’m A Celebrity: Sabrina gets the boot… and promptly goes all giggly over Stuart ‘romance’

Sabrina Washington was sent packing from I’m A Celebrity last night after losing out to Justin Ryan in the vote-off. The former Mis-Teeq singer, 31, said she was ‘relieved’ to be out of camp, but admitted she will miss her fellow jungle mates. None more so than Stuart Manning, who she has been at the centre of romance rumours with.

Sabrina Washington was sent packing from I’m A Celebrity last night

She bid an emotional farewell to Stuart Manning, who she has been flirting with

The pair got along famously, with Stuart admitting he got goosebumps when he first set eyes on her. But when she was grilled about their relationship, she coyly insisted they were ‘just friends’ before breaking into a fit of giggles. She told hosts Ant and Dec: ‘We’re just friends. Just like anybody else in the jungle.’ Asked if she fancied him, she repeated: ‘We’re just friends.’ Ant then asked her if they were going to talk about their feelings following the show, to which she unconvincingly replied: ‘I’ll talk to everyone.’

The former Mis-Teeq singer makes her walk out of camp across the bridge

Her fellow camp mates wave goodbye from down below

Talking about how the other contestants gossiped about the pair, she said: ‘I think Gino’s a wind up and then Jimmy and Justin got involved. ‘We’re just the youngest in there and everyone else is in relationships. And we’re just friends.’ She also said the experience in the jungle had changed her, and that she was no longer afraid of heights, having arrived in camp by leaping from a plane. Sabrina, 31, hugged her fellow celebrity pals as she was given the news that she was leaving.

Before her exit, Sabrina enjoyed a karaoke night with Gino (left) and Stuart after the trio won a celebrity quiz

They were all assembled in a different area than usual after rangers were frantically trying to remove a snake from camp. Earlier in the show, Stuart, Sabrina and Gino enjoyed a ‘night out’ of camp at the Jungle Karaoke Bar after winning a celebrity quiz. The contestants were split into two teams and asked a series of questions, including who dumped her boyfriend live on television last week.

They sang songs together, including the Mis-Teeq hit Scandalous

Sabrina’s team were given the option of Katie Price or Peaches Geldof, and correctly answered Katie. Stuart said: ‘Well it’s going to be Peaches Geldof because Katie said that Alex is coming out here.’ But then added: ‘Something inside me says Katie has the nuts to do it.’ After realising they had answered correctly, Stuart said: ‘Knew that girl would do it.’

Justin Ryan breaks down after reading a letter from civil partner Colin McAllister, who left the jungle last week

Kim and Stuart also became emotional as they read their personal letters

The former Hollyoaks star also discovered that his former girlfriend, ex Liberty X singer Jessica Taylor, is pregnant with husband Kevin Pietersen. Justin’s team were asked whether it was Jessica Taylor or Michelle Heaton who was expecting. The team answered incorrectly saying Michelle Heaton. On hearing the news, Stuart said: ‘Congratulations Jess, that’s brilliant news. I knew you wanted a baby for ages.  Well done, that’s awesome.’

Sabrina is doused in bugs during her second bushtucker trial, Memory Misery

The singer is dropped into a tank of fish guts after getting a question wrong

Later on at the karaoke bar, Stuart, Sabrina and Gino enjoyed beer and nuts as they entertained one another. They chose a handful of songs from the list provided. First up was Mis-Teeq hit Scandalous, which Sabrina obviously was very familiar with. Gino and Stuart then serenaded Sabrina with a rendition of the Tom Jones and Mousse T hit Sex Bomb.

She was joined by Jimmy White in the challenge in which they won just one star

There were emotional scenes as the remaining six celebrities received letters from their friends and family. Most of the contestants were reduced to blubbering wrecks as Justin read out the touching notes. As Justin handed out the letters he said: ‘Before I do this I am really emotional so I’ll struggle at your stories but will do my utmost to get through them.’

They had to remember a series of Australian icons in the mission

They were given just a minute to memorise all the items and were then asked which one was behind each number

Justin’s letter from Colin suggested the two of them get married again and after it had been read out, Jimmy was seen wiping away the tears and jokingly said: ‘I’m just going to get a tissue I think I’ve got something in my eye – must be dust!’ Jimmy’s letter was from his family, Stuart and Sabrina both received letters from their mothers, Kim’s was from her husband with a special meow from her cat and Gino’s was from his wife and three children. Earlier, Jimmy and Sabrina took part in the bushtucker trial Memory Misery.

Following the task they set about shaking off all the creepy crawlies

The pair were sat on seats above a tank filled with fish guts and were tasked with remembering 16 iconic images, printed on the front of numbered blocks. Sabrina and Jimmy were given a minute to remember the images of things including an emu, a didgeridoo, Rolf Harris and the Sydney Opera House, before they were hidden again. Both proved they had appalling memories, however, and only managed to win one meal out of a possible six.

For the celebrity chest they had to work in teams of two and balance a ball on a stick. Seen here are Gino and Justin

Snooker ace Jimmy was asked what image was behind number 10, he wrongly suggested it was the Opera House and a shocked Sabrina was then covered in slime and creepy crawlies. Sabrina was then asked what picture lay behind number seven. She thought it was a boomerang but it was a mosquito, so Jimmy’s seat collapsed and threw him into the tank. The singer managed to get two answers correct over the course of the challenge, which secured them their only star, but Jimmy failed to get any right.

Sabrina and Stuart make their attempt to carry the ball though the course

After their shocking attempt, Sabrina said: ‘It was really fun but I’ve got cockroaches in my pants. We won’t each much tonight!’ Jimmy added: “We’ve had a right laugh when you try and think of the numbers to the images it’s impossible.” Returning to camp they broke the news to their starving camp mates who agreed to miss lunch and save it all for dinner. ‘I’ll go on and chew on a log or something,’ said Jimmy. Taking to her bed Kim said: ‘I’m wasting away up here, I’ve got no energy. I’ll just have to lie down.’

But Kim and Jimmy kept dropping the ball and failed to collect a token

Justin agreed: ‘My stomach is eating itself!’ Later on, however, they managed to win some beans and salt after taking part in the celebrity chest, Screwballed. Unlike previous celebrity chests, this time they were all playing and would earn tokens which could be exchanged for treats.  In pairs, they had to transport the red ball from one end of the cage into the tube at the other end using the wooden poles provided. If they successfully deposited the ball in the tube they would collect a token.

Sabrina and her team take part in the celebrity quiz, which saw them win a night at the Jungle Karaoke Bar

They had 20 minutes, to get collect the three tokens. The teams were, Jimmy and Kim, Justin and Gino, Stuart and Sabrina. Kim and Jimmy were the first pair to attempt the task.  Unable to keep the ball on the sticks they gave up after the first klaxon sounded and Kim said, “I think we are utterly stupid people. Next up were Sabrina and Stuart, are a shaky start they narrowly missed out on a token and headed back to camp after the second klaxon, which indicated ten minutes had gone by.

But Kim, Justin and Jimmy came off as the losers in the quiz

They passed to Justin and Gino.  Gino had a strategy and directed Justin throughout the course.  Keeping their cool, the pair managed to navigate the ball into the tube winning the first token for camp. Running back to camp, Justin shouted: ‘Gino and Justin extraordinaire.’ With five minutes left, Sabrina and Stuart opted to try to win a second token. Following Justin and Gino’s lead they successfully got the ball into the tube and made it back to camp seconds before the final klaxon struck.

Calendar Girl Kelly Brook poses with nothing but skis

It might look a bit chilly, but several of the cast of Calendar Girls appear to be fighting over the title of Miss December. Kelly Brook and other actresses from the London stage play posed among festive scenes that could have come straight from a calendar shoot. The actress and model, who plays Celia, is Miss September in the play about the real life W.I. women who posed with artfully arranged products for a charity calendar.

Festive frolics: Kelly Brook protects her modesty with skis in a Christmas photo shoot for Calendar Girls the play

In the Christmas shoot, the modesty of the 30-year-old is covered by a pair of branded skis as she stands in front of a tree decked with sunflowers and baubles.

After the November floods, now prepare for the soggy Christmas

For anyone caught without an umbrella in recent days, it will come as little surprise. For the washout in November was the wettest since records began, the Met Office confirmed last night. An astonishing 8.5in (215.9mm) of rain fell across the country last month – smashing the previous record set in 1951.

A rambler battled the snow in County Durham yesterday as he made his way over a country fence

Yesterday, forecasters announced that the cold snap which has swept Britain over the past two days is over, and said the UK should instead prepare for a month of mild and soggy weather.It means the chances of enjoying a white Christmas are looking increasingly remote.Last month’s storms brought chaos to many parts of the UK and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes in Cumbria. The Met Office said November also set a rainfall record of 7.8in (198.1mm) for England and Wales, breaking the previous high of 7.75in (196.9mm) in 1929.

Frosted glass and frozen water near a beauty spot in Somerset, close to the village of Priddy

Residents in York have had to put up temporary foot bridges due to the floods

A spokesman said: ‘The interesting thing is not that it’s a record wettest November but how isolated the heaviest rain was.’Places like Cumbria, south-west Scotland and Snowdonia have received by far the most rainfall and turned it into a record month despite dry conditions further east where lots of places have recorded less than 3.9in (99.1mm) of rain.’The last of the cold weather was due to sweep across Cumbria and Scotland last night, bringing two inches of snow on high ground.It followed a sub-zero start to December, when temperatures plunged to minus 8.9c (16f) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on Monday night. The lowest temperature in England was minus 6.3c (21f) at Redesdale Camp in Northumberland.

A frost covers a field in Alton, Hants, after temperatures plummeted

Frost crystals form intricate patterns on a leaf after a freezing cold night

Last night – despite 24 flood warnings still in force and more rainfall forecast – the Environment Agency said it believed the threat of serious flooding was subsiding. Yesterday, the floods claimed another life – Sarah Fiona Hill, 49, who was swept to her death in a swollen stream in North Wales. But although the Met Office remains doubtful about the chance of snow on Christmas Day, forecasters Positive Weather Solutions are more optimistic. They claimed that some parts of the country have a one in three chance of a White Christmas. The last was in 2004.

I THINK YOU’RE THE FATHER OF ONE OF MY KIDS

A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an attractive woman waving at him.
She says hello. He’s rather taken aback because he can’t place where he knows her from.
So he says, ‘Do you know me?’ To which she replies, ‘I think that you’re the father of one of my kids.’
Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says,
My God, are you the stripper from the bachelor party that I had sex with on the pool table
with all my buddies watching while your partner whipped my butt with wet celery?’ ;
She looks into his eyes and says calmly, ‘No… I’m your son’s teacher’

Hier seht ihr einen Werbespot aus dem Jahre 1989, der wohl nie offiziell in Deutschland erschien.Wie “freaky” doch die alte Zeit schon war: Es wurden sogar Cornflakes für Nintendo-Fans produziert. Die eingängige “Nintendo”-Melodie wirkt hierbei schon fast manipulativ. Dabei sehen die Cornflakes überhaupt nicht wie Super Mario und Link aus. Doch würde es heute noch Super Mario Cornflakes geben, wären Tony der Tiger und der Choco Pops-Affe sicher bald arbeitslos.

Chris Hoy zegt dat hij mede door Bran Flakes zo snel is, denk dat ik maar een paar pakken insla voor TR. Ook een mooie dolan track champion in de achtergrond, kan niet wachten tot ik de mijne heb, net een mail gestuurd naar velodromeshop of ze hem zonder decals kunnen leveren.

Fiction expérimentale, 3′35, couleur et n&b
Réalisé en 2004 par Pierrick Servais, diffusé en 2005

Synopsis :
Si tous les enfants veulent devenir astronautes, c’est pour se barrer de cette Terre où ils devront vivre toute leur vie…

Awesome clip… Enjoy

Kelloggs are looking to laser brand their logo on cornflakes to ensure that you, the customer will rest easy knowing you have the genuine article and not a fake. In the press release on their website, Helen Lyons, lead food technologist, said: “In recent years there has been an increase in the number of own brands trying to capitalise on the popularity of Kellogg’s corn flakes. We want shoppers to be under absolutely no illusion that Kellogg’s does not make cereal for anyone else.”

I don’t want to burst your bubble, Kelloggs, but most shoppers don’t care. They care about value for money. If the own brand version is cheaper, if they want an organic version that is not your brand, or heaven forbid if it tastes better, they’ll go for that. It’s called choice. Now let’s look at the concept of a fake product: you either produce an item of inferior quality, then try and pass it off as the real thing for profit, or you use whatever’s available to enhance your physique. There are fake coins, Louis Vuittons and boobs, but there are not fake cornflakes as far as I’m concerned. That would be like Heinz suddenly deciding that Supermarkets can no longer have their own branded beans because it compromises their product. What are you afraid of? If Kelloggs cornflakes are that good, it will continue to be the leader in cereals, recession or not. Unless sales absolutely hit the floor, there will be more than enough profit. Enough to laser brand their logo on a wheat flake. To bastardise Robin William’s famous quote: “Lasered cornflakes is God’s way of telling Kelloggs it’s got too much money.”

When Kellogg announced it was lasering its brand name on Cornflakes, to avoid any confusion with own-label imitators, the reaction was derision mixed with incredulity. Surely even Kellogg can’t be that paranoid? Or, on reflection, maybe they’re having a laugh… In fact, come to think of it, this is a super-sophisticated stunt. They’re not really spending all that money on proprietary laser technology at all; it’s just a clever way of getting journalists to put their ‘pure branding’ message across free of charge…

Well, not exactly. The first thing to know about Kellogg is that it doesn’t do humour or wind-up. They’re deadly earnest over at Battle Creek, Michigan. It turns out they really have been experimenting with laser branding – on Pop Tarts in Canada. But ridicule isn’t the right reaction either. Kellogg just does everything by the book. And as a result, competitors will now be smiling on the other side of their face.

Because Kellogg has just produced a recession-busting set of financial results. And the reason? Religious adherence to the Book of Branding, of course. See chapter two, Advertising During a Recession, in particular. Last quarter, they increased spend by 17%. Next quarter, they plan another double digit rise. “Rather than take advantage of lower rates to reduce the cost of our advertising investment, we see this as a great opportunity to increase our investment and build even stronger brands in the future. Higher spend combined with media deflation and a push on efficiency is driving a significant increase in advertising pressure,” says Kellogg chief financial officer John Bryant. So there.

Day 61: Total Ghana Power Outage!

Well, the lights are out again. I’m not taking any chances and have started eating formerly frozen leftovers to keep them from going bad in case this turns into the Great Freezer Meltdown II. And while this (like THC’s other suggestions) may sound gross, lightly sweetened ricotta + maple syrup made even the leftover lame-o cornflour pancakes taste interesting and delicious. Then I remembered about my saltine-like imitation Cream Crackers from Sri Lanka (the real ones come from China) and put GNP on them for dessert. Mmm…memories of daycare snack time. I’d forgotten about such simple snacks as crackers & cheese or crackers & GNP until recently.

Also: since the damn banana lady hasn’t been showing up in my town, I’ve been lacking fresh fruit and have thus started putting trail mix on my cornflakes. It’s surprisingly good, even the kind that’s soy nuts/almonds/cranberries/pumpkin seeds. Banana chips, too, are almost like the real thing…

Day 63: see entry title

I found what looks like raisin bread in Bolga yesterday. I tried it for breakfast and figured out it’s more like pound cake–perhaps that’s why it’s called “Paykek.” It’s made in Turkey and advertised as not containing “alcohol, pork fat or its derivatives.” Suitable for all major religions!

Also for breakfast, I made oats and, on a whim, threw in some cornmeal to see if I could make porridge. It didn’t taste bad, but it wasn’t great either. Oh well.

Then I wanted to use up the last of the milk, so I made the DOC’s Chocolate Pudding–and it was surprisingly good. It may even be better than the Jell-o Instant kind. I don’t have a whisk, so it was a tad lumpy, and I accidentally used two egg yolks instead of one for a half-recipe, but it still came out very nicely.

Dinner: The lights are out AGAIN! What is it with this town? October and electricity apparently don’t go together. The critters always take over when there’s no light to keep them in their hiding spots…also, fanIce is not as good when melted.

So I still have a lot of cabbage; figured I’d try the DOC recipe for egg rolls instead of just boiling it or making stir fry. As per usual, the batter for the rolls took a couple of tries to get right…ish. Even on low heat they bubbled so much they resembled Swiss cheese…full of holes! Tilting the pan as for crepes helped some, but didn’t solve the problem. They tasted good, though. The filling basically was stir-fry, with onion, garlic, cabbage, green pepper, soy sauce, pepe and chili powder. But when it was almost done I added the leftover egg whites from the pudding and the half an egg I’d been saving in the freezer. I usually add water to my stir fry because the soy sauce is “dark,” aka extra powerful, but in this case less liquid would’ve been better. I got some of the rolls to fold up quite nicely and stay together during frying; others were more of a mess. But they all tasted lovely, and didn’t need any mustard or duck sauce like the ones you get in a restaurant back home. Time-consuming, but worth it!

Day 65: Fresh Fruit Smorgasbord

Today has this title because for breakfast I cut up my pawpaw, then put a banana in some oats and cinnamon; then at lunch had pineapple. Mmm. I also made gari foto again, this time tweaking the recipe to suit my tastes. First I added 1/8 head cabbage to the onion-ginger saute, because this stuff is good, and the more fresh vegetables you can add, the better. I’d have liked some green pepper, but didn’t have any; that was my first choice. Anyway, if you add the tomato paste to the sauteing vegetables, and keep the chopped tomatoes uncooked, it all has a much more pleasant texture than last time when the tomato paste made the whole thing kind of gloppy. It’d be best to add pepe during the stir frying stage, but I forgot till the end. And you can leave out the eggs and/or mackerel–it’s still super good without them! Next on the Ghanaian food prep trial list: jollof rice.

Former L.A. Times music writer Robert Hilburn has released “Cornflakes with John Lennon (and Other Tales From a Rock ‘n’ Roll Life),” a memoir of his life, and has released a series of clips of him talking about encounters with notable musicians to publicize it.

We have two future music journalists in our class, so let’s see if we can learn from his tales. (It sounds like he might’ve gotten a little too comfortable with a few of his sources.

Cobain is a user, in more ways than one.

I was a grunge kid, so I’m sorry to hear my rock hero took advantage of a journalist. Then again, a journalist should know better. Be skeptical, especially of addicts.

Springsteen is a snoop.

Good to know The Boss has a sense of humor. Still, make sure you take your reporter notebook with you. (And Hilburn’s wrong. “Jackson Cage” is a B-plus.)

Bob Dylan is complex.

Anyone go to the Skirball Center’s Dylan exhibit last year? It was one of the coolest museum exhibits I’ve ever seen.

John Lennon is a midnight snacker.

I’m not big on cereal, but I’d go Cheerios over Cornflakes if pressed. I bet George Harrison was a Cheerios man.

(Search for “Robert Hilburn” on YouTube to see more, including stories about Janis Joplin and Bono.)

Van Popeye hebben we geleerd dat je er sterk van wordt: ijzer. Het zit van nature in spinazie en is goed voor je lijf. Daarom voegt de grootgrutter het aan de meest uiteenlopende producten toe.

Deel 1

Deel 2

Deel 3

IJzersterk
Cornflakes bijvoorbeeld. Eten dat in zijn oorsprong helemaal niets van ijzer wil weten. Een sterk staaltje productontwikkeling? De Keuringsdienst van Waarde gaat op zoek naar de spijker in de ontbijtgranen en komt met een grote onthulling. Een ijzersterk verhaal van de Keuringsdienst van Waarde.

Bron: Keuringsdienst van Waarde YouTube
Bron: RVU website

Youp van ‘t Hek: Dus als je Kellogg’s Cornflakes hebt gegeten piep je in het poortje van Schiphol?

It’s being put about by their PR team that Kellogg’s are to individually laser etch each of their cornflakes with the company logo. Is it too much to suggest that this might not be absolutely true?

Kellogg’s conflakes laser etched

We’ve all become used to ever more sophisticated and cynical advertising from the food industry as companies have cottoned on to the fact that tinkering with loved brands or unexpectedly removing favourite chocolate bars from the shelves has a desirable viral marketing effect which they can respond to by ‘bringing back’ the product. I blame Coca-Cola. All this trickery means that we tend to view most of the releases and announcements that come from our PR friends with an even healthier dose of suspicion than even our former jaded paranoia.

So what to make of this jaunty little announcement from Kellogg’s yesterday? “Now you’ll always be able to tell your Corn Flakes from your corn fakes!”

The story is, apparently, that the company has new laser technology ready to toast the tiny logo onto a zillion little flakes a day: “We’ve established that it is possible to apply a logo or image onto food, now we need to see if there is a way of repeating it on large quantities of our cereal. We’re looking into it,” the company’s food technologist, Helen Lyons is reported as saying. When we phoned for confirmation we were told that she’s “on holiday at the moment”. Hmm.

Shortly before throwing her Blackberry to the wind and hotfooting it out of Kellogg’s HQ to pack her holiday suitcase, Ms Lyons told the Metro, Mail and Telegraph that “giving our golden flakes of corn an official stamp of approval could be the answer”. At last technology has made it possible to confound the makers of all those damned inferior flakes that would masquerade as Kellogg’s.

Presumably the technology isn’t that ready at all, given it hasn’t been used in the photograph above, which is, instead, ahem, digitally manipulated.

So what do we think ? is it an important development in food branding technology?

How about they try doing it with Rice Krispies 

   These late night and early mornings are beginning to disagree with me somewhat. In my youth (if I can remember that far back) I would have thought nothing of getting to bed at 12:30 and up again at 06:30. Now it is a little different. I suppose one late night that a week is reasonable, but three in a row … I struggle.

   Youngest been great again. No problems at all tonight. It’s difficult to get your head around the difference he can be. He can be like two different people sometimes. May have spoke too soon. He sounds like he may be going off a bit.

   Work went quite well today. Had enough to keep me going, but not too much. I succumb to temptation this morning though. I’d had a large bowl of cornflakes at around 07:00, but by 08:30, I was getting hungry. So I thought a bacon butty was in order. I know I should not, and I should have had some fruit, but…

   I was right about the youngest. He is kicking off a bit. He was fine 10 minutes ago, and now he is not. I think it was getting him to shut his computer down. I don’t think he was quite ready. I’m convinced too, that when we tell him to stop, it just makes him worse.

   Nipped into ‘Chat’ for a few minutes, but I do not seem to be bothered about it now. I can remember when I used to sign in every night, sometimes into the very early hours. It is not the same now though. Many of the people I used to chat to no longer use the site, and those that do are very predictable. (Youngest seems to have calmed down now … fingers crossed) There are just one or two, that I still like on there. What I mean by like, I suppose, is that they don’t bore me. Mind you, people on ‘Chat’ take on a different persona, to what they are when on MSN Messenger or even when on facebook. I suppose on ‘Chat’ you are anonymous, so you can be whatever or whoever you want to be.

   I’m thinking of getting a new page on MySpace. I want to give it a try again, as I have heard it has had a bit of a makeover, and the speed has got better. I’m not convinced yet about MySpace. It does seem to very American, whereas facebook, whilst it is obviously American, has a massive English contingent.

   Right, I think I have moaned on long enough now.

Boxes of cornflakes

Cornflakes

Prepare the cups

Buttered, sugared and honeyed

Baked to golden brown

Closer look

All packed

5 hours worth of work, that's the result of 2*500g and 1*325g boxes of cornflakes

My baby niece and nephew can finish a whole small bottle in one sitting

Will post the recipe up another day. This is the all-time favourite and a must for my family. Will take step-by-step pictures next time if there’s a demand

On the other hand, I can make them for you!

Put a twist on the traditional cornflakes for dinner meal with my unique meal. It’s scrumptious! Serve when finished, otherwise the milk clots, and the food starts to look like it has been digested and reprocessed by Andrei Arshavin (a Russian spotted barn owl).

INGREDIENTS

• Cornflakes (a bowlfull)
• Blackberries (a good handful, about six-seven)
• Vanilla Yogurt (one packet)
• Milk (to your fancy)
• Cinnamon (A PINCH!!! Or two..)
• 1 Banana (sliced)
• White sugar

1. Measure out how much you want to devour in the form of cornflake goodness. Put into a decorated bowl of your choosing.

2. Take out your white sugar and pour a liberal amount over the corn flakes. Pick up the bowl and swish it around until the cornflakes are suitably dusted.

3. Slice the banana and blackberry. Make sure the banana slices are thin, not thick, and the blackberries ought to be cut in half. Add them to the bowl.

4. Add the milk to the desired level. Personally, I add enough that I can see it below the cornflakes, but doesn’t engulf it. You do not want the milk to make anything soggy. That’d be gross.

5. Open your vanilla yogurt pack and pour the contents into your bowl. Use a spoon to combine ingredients, taking careful concern to NOT mash your fruits.

6. When properly mixed, sprinkle over it the cinnamon. And now consume for deliciousness in your tummybox.

Bon appetit.

Day one of learning to cook has failed. Miserably. Cian had football (soccer for the yanks and Irish) training, thus, he made himself some sort of delectable dish at half three and left me to fend for myself all on my own-y. Which I did. Sort of.

You would think after being explicitly told to make something for myself that would constitute as food in the court of law I would do just that. That would show you are stupid. I am the type of person who saw Supersize Me and immediately craved a big mac. Telling me to do something always results in a disaster on par with the economic states of post-communist countries (and don’t bring China into this).  I did, however, promise Cian I would make something with nutritional value to get him to shutup.

Thus, I had cornflakes.

With skim milk! (Well… 1.5%)

And some ice cream.

Ok, so, I failed, but I did try. I had bread out. I had butter out. I even had the Irish white cheddar out. And then I remembered I don’t even know how to make a fucking grilled cheese. That moment was one of the best in my life. I realised I am the most spoilt person I know. I love you, mom. Nevermind the fact your unconditional love and care has rendered me a drooling idiot content to starve without your skillet. And nevermind the fact I am a demanding, egotistical cunt. I then promptly put back all the ingredients (three of them) and made myself some cereal and watched the Mighty Boosh. All in all, a successful night for me. Not so much for Cian who reacted with a perfectly pitched, “for fucks sake!” when he inquired to what I ate.

Thus, there are no photos of delicious food being prepared and me looking on with consternation at the process, but rather.. well, there is no rather. There is just words today.  We are, however, making a spaghetti bologonese tonight as it is apparently the basic dish and we need to start there. Cian began the conversation with a hesitant, “you don’t burn noodles, do you?” So little trust in this relationship. So little fucking trust.

Sya dubbed this as ‘the most evil of all kuih raya‘, and she was absolutely right to say that. I can finish an entire container of 50 by myself within 5 minutes; 10 minutes if I have a tiny ounce of self control. Tell me, who can resist cornflakes of buttery-honey goodness??! If you can, you’re missing out!

Well said, Sya!

Ingredients:

125g butter

250g Kellogs cornflakes

80g castor sugar

50ml honey

chopped almond (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt sugar and honey

2. Add butter to melted mixture, stir till combined. Leave it till it gets hot. Be careful not to over cook it, or the sugar will caramelise.

3. Mix cornflakes and chopped almond in a bowl.

Pour butter/sugar/honey mixture over cornflakes, and fold. Make sure every single piece of cornflake is coated with the mixture.

4. Spoon into papercups and bake at 160C for 5 to 10 mins.

Evil, I’m telling you. VERY EVIL. It’s hiding behind the veil of innocence. But looks can be deceiving.. Pure evil!

And whoever thought of using cinnamon sticks and star anise and cardomom to repel ants is a genius. But now my kitchen looks like rumah bomoh.

]]> http://dessertini.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/hari-raya-edition-chocolate-cornflakes-macaroon/ Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:20:08 +0000 dayah http://dessertini.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/hari-raya-edition-chocolate-cornflakes-macaroon/

I love this hari raya cookie! I can safely say that it’s always a hot favourite at everybody’s house! I remember once we attacked the whole jar of cornflakes macaroons and the host had to refill, AND we shameless finished that too. It’s really embarassing how we lacked self-control. Really. Can we call it cookie, when it doesn’t look like a cookie? If not, what else? Biscuit? Food stuff then!

The best thing about working with egg white and sugar is that clean up is easy. Well, as compared to butter, or anything greasy. I’ve always hated cleaning up after baking cupcakes and making frostings.

Ingredients:

115 ml egg white

255g chocolate chips (depends on how much you want!)

210g icing sugar

140g Kellogs cornflakes, lightly crushed

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Beat egg white at high speed till soft peaks are formed.

2. Add sugar bit by bit until it dissolves before adding more sugar.

3. Add vanilla essence only when it stiffens.

4. Add chocolate chips and cornflakes and fold.

5. Drop 1 tsp of mixture into small paper cups.

6. Bake for 30 to 45 mins at LOW temperature (some people do it at 160, I do it at 130C.. really depends on your oven) until surface is dried.

Bahan-bahan untuk CORNFLAKES COFFEE KISSES
125 gram mentega
20 gram shortening sayuran
70 gram gula serbuk
1 biji kuning telur
1 sudu besar peanut butter
1/2 sudu teh esen kopi
180 gram tepung serbaguna
50 gram tepung jagung
30 gram gajus, dikisar
1/2 sudu teh baking powder
1 biji putih telur, dipukul untuk sapu
kepingan badam dan cornflakes yang telah diramas kasar untuk hiasan

Cara membuat
1. Pukul mentega, shortening, gula serbuk dan kuning telur selama 4
minit. Masukkan peanut butter dan esen kopi dan pukul lagi selama 2
minit.
2. Masukkan kedua-dua jenis tepung, gajus dan baking powder. Gaul
sehingga sebati. Biarkan doh disejukkan dalam peti sejuk selama 10
minit.
3. Canai doh dan potong bentuk rectangle dengan pisau. Sapukan putih
telur diatas doh dan taburkan dengan badam dan cornflakes yang diramas
kasar.
4. Bakar selama 13 minit pada suhu 180 darjah C.

Updates?

I finished 6th form, passed all the exams and am off to uni at the end of September.

I’m expecting student life proper to be an interesting experience; living off cornflakes and cold beans, sorting through the last fortnight’s laundry to find a clean pair of jeans and studying chemistry during the days and the effects of alcohol poisoning in the evenings.

Joking obviously; I can kind of cook, just about tidy up and I don’t drink that much.  But I will be studying chemistry for the next 4 years.

I might even remember to update this blog every now and then.

——

For anyone who could be bothered to read this far I’ve made a playlist of my favourite songs at the moment.  I’m not a student quite yet, I still have time to waste.  Again it’s a Spotify playlist.

Much love.

Die Ekmannsdorfer Firma Spätzlé fügt einigen Cornflakespackungen eine CD mit einem Fitness-Video bei.

Als heute Maria Liegewiese aus Dorschborn die CD aus der Packung nahm und ansehen wollte, erlebte sie allerdings eine Überraschung. Anstatt einer Fitnessanleitung enthielt die Scheibe ein deftiges Pornovideo.

Spätzlé untersucht die Vorkommnisse jetzt.

Image 1.