This will hurt me...

I would just like to say that this blog post may be exactly what I have been looking for . I've spent a good part of my life hunting better Hungarian Goulash recipes, and I'm hoping that this one will do the trick!

San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina Somewhere a bit warmer today, I think. San Salvador de Jujuy is a city in north-western Argentina, and the capital of the Jujuy Province, which itself is at the borders of Chile and Bolivia. My wife has been to Salta, which is not too far away. Located on the Andes, 1238 meters above sea level, Jujuy is humid during Summer and dry and cold during Winter. It seems to be a city with a colonial feel, but also a gateway to the colourful Andean culture. Jujuy the city, and the province in general, appears to be much more inclusive of indigenous people and culture than the in rest of Argentina, which is reflected in the predominant Quechua, Aymara and Chiriguano people and cultures. So I’m thinking that it would be a good place to visit. Jen tells me that the people in the region are incredibly friendly, she has the local lingo down pat, and although we’ll be gringos, we’ll be gringos with a local accent. I can just picture Henry and I in colourful ponchos, ...

There is nothing particularly odd or memorable about today’s ad, although the fact that I don’t consider the image of a horse smoking a cigar odd is testament to how stupid some of these ads are. The reason that I have posted it is that I like it, and that is good enough for me. I do have time for any ad that looks like it has been drawn by a child (albeit a talented child). The fact that it includes a horse smoking a cigar is merely the cherry on top!

Really just a rehash of a comment that I left on the Political Umpire's blog , but it is something that I've thought about for a while and it may just drag Steve Davis out of hibernation if he's out there! It concerns the criticism of Ponting and the current team, and it is a criticism that I just don't get. I know people think that they're nasty, thin skinned and cliquey (and they may have a point), but surely the side under Border/Simpson was far, far worse. Remember, this was where you could get someone like Jones dropped (because he didn’t get along with Simpson), and Mark Waugh retained (because he was a good 'team man') even though the previous Sri Lankan tour saw Jones averaging 40-odd and Waugh around 2. Even more so, surely they were a far ‘harder’ unit, not to mention more spiteful and less likable lot then. The team was structured around severe, rough, surely types like AB, McDermott, Healy, Boon, Marsh, and perhaps even nastier annoying blokes li...

And to make the day in cricket just a little odder, it appears that Shaun Tait has retired . His statement indicates that he “has walked away from cricket indefinitely”, citing “physical and emotional exhaustion”. This resembles the Nathan Ablett episode (Geelong premiership footballer retiring at 21) from a few months ago, I say fair play to the lad if he doesn’t want to do it anymore. However, you have got to wonder where the Australian selectors’ heads were at when they picked him in Perth, despite a lack of form. He said that he was struggling emotionally before the Perth Test, and clearly was off his game right way through, so I’d like to know why someone didn’t pick up on that. It seems a gross oversight, and definitely contributed to the loss. Will Harmison be next? England can only hope so!

So the Indians get their way again? Surprise, surprise. The new evidence that was all over the news last night was pretty damning on Harbhajan, but hey, they were going to “abandon the tour” again, so we better let him off. They may as well throw out any semblance of actually taking racist abuse seriously and let anything go. The ongoing jumble of “he didn’t say it” and “to call the black guy a monkey isn’t racist” from many, many Indian supporters is also doing my head in. If I have to listen one more time about fair play from the mob that threatens to take their bat and ball home every single time a call goes against them, I will fair dinkum scream. I also feel the need to point to some of the frankly pathetic appeals and attempts to intimidate Bowden in Adelaide, but hey, what would be the point, these blokes don’t see anything but conspiracy against them. The saddest part is that I can just imagine what every drunken yob on the hill is going to call out to Harbhajan (and no doubt ...

Interesting little article in Psychology Today about how humans regularly err in everyday risk assessment . I’d like to think most of this stuff I’m awake to, but I think that it is important to sometimes stop and think things through a little. I particularly liked the musings on how risk and emotion are inseparable, and even more so that sometimes thinking too much about risk is not always the smartest thing to do. Well worth a look.

Yakutsk, Russia Yakutsk (Яку́тск) is the capital of the Sakha Republic (the Yakutia region, formerly the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Located in Siberia, it has some renown as the coldest city on earth. It has a population of around 200,000 people, so it defiantly qualifies as a city. But is it cold? You bet your sweet Aunt Nelly it is! In January, daily high temperatures average around -40.9 °C. For those not impressed by facts and figures, that’s COLD . Warnings are issued to people about wearing glasses outside, as they have a tendency to freeze to the face and tear the flesh off when one tries to remove them. Nice visual there. The coldest temperatures ever recorded outside Antarctica occur in the basin of the Yana River not far to the northeast. Conversely, July temperatures can often exceed 32 °C, making the region among the greatest in the world for seasonal temperature differences. The biggest city built on continuous permafrost, Yakutsk is about 4° below the Arc...

Two for the price of one. Today we’re looking at ride-on lawnmowers. What comes to mind when we think of ride-on mowers? Why, women in uncomfortable-looking shorts, of course! Now, I can’t see the footwear in these fine young ladies, but the ensembles suggest some sort of open-toed arrangement. I’m not sure how that would fit in with modern health and safety practice. In fact, a closer look at these mowers suggests to me that they are lacking somewhat in the safety department. The ladies do not, however, seem to mind.

It seems a pretty straightforward story. Cops arrest drug dealing gangbanger, turns out he popped a few caps into some dudes Cut and dried. However, the accompanying pic really appeals to me. I want to know if it will increase his cred or make him a laughing stock back in the hood? Well worth a click though , as I’m sure that this story from Allentown, Pennsylvania will make your day!

Pago Pago, American Samoa My wife has been hassling me to do a new place that I’d like to visit, so here we go. The capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago is a village located on the island of Tutuila. And yet another town where the harbour is surrounded by impressive cliffs for my list (I can’t help myself, I know). Unlike Western Samoa, American Samoa appears to have limited tourist infrastructure catering mostly to businessmen, locals visiting from abroad and the occasional eco-tourist enthusiast seeking out the rainforests and archaeological sites. Thus, visiting offers a challenge and an opportunity. The deep water harbour itself is a collapsed volcanic crater, and the town of Pago Pago holds less than 4000 residents, a couple of banks, some shops, restaurants, a museum with a collection of ancient Samoan artefacts and a few government departments, oh and there is the yacht club at Utulei. Outside of town, you’ve got your tropical rainforest, fine beaches, swimming and snorkelling, ...