There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! LOCUSTS! It wasn't my fault...

There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! LOCUSTS! It wasn't my fault...

Seriously: Could Taiwan please stop behaving as if it was Australia?

Monday morning bread

Monday morning bread

On #caturday Gigi shows me how to use my blanket properly.

On #caturday Gigi shows me how to use my blanket properly.

Would be worth consideration if we celebrated Halloween...

Would be worth consideration if we celebrated Halloween...

Via Chris Fink​

Originally shared by Mayra

I made a birthday cake for my daughter's fifth birthday.

I made a birthday cake for my daughter's fifth birthday. Lacking imagination, it was a Totoro cake again, but this time based on cookies. It is not as good as I hoped, but it was interesting.

I had discovered a kind of sweet and brittle cookies and glued a few packs to a block with chocolate. Note to self: next time no brush, only spoon.

I had printed a simple Totoro image in the right size, cut it out and used knives to carve the shape. When I cut out the space between the ears the block fractured, that's why there is chocolate on top.

Most of the wrapping is marzipan. Next time I need to use more water. Making the cake takes time, the marzipan will dry out. The belly is marzipan without food dye.

Then came chocolate: mouth and eyes are white modeling chocolate, everything dark (pupils, nose, arrows, bristles and claws) was drawn using brown chocolate and a toothpick, only the soles are marzipan with cocoa.

You should try this too. If I can do it with my two left hands... Of course, should I ever do this again, there are a number of things I would do differently, that's the problem with doing something for the first time.

#totoro

I came across this ad for moisture masks today.

I came across this ad for moisture masks today. Hmm, what does the shape of that mask remind me of... (Sorry, I was on an escalator, only just caught it.)

#starwars #stormtrooper

Birthday cake

Birthday cake

At five in the morning the first breakfast stalls open.

At five in the morning the first breakfast stalls open. Also here, Taipei is more expensive than the rest of the island.

"Surprise"...

"Surprise"...

That was totally unexpected! I am shocked...
https://theintercept.com/2017/10/24/syria-rebels-nsa-saudi-prince-assad/

Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation

I had expected a little more oversight, not blind trust in a software nobody outside Facebook uses. I guess Facebook needs to work on their "AI" a little more...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/24/facebook-palestine-israel-translates-good-morning-attack-them-arrest
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/24/facebook-palestine-israel-translates-good-morning-attack-them-arrest

So, October Fest...

So, October Fest...

I must say, the students put a lot of effort in the preparations, despite some things not going very smoothly. Next time I think they will have more experience with baking bread, since this time first through third year were involved.

Also the bratwurst preparations should be smoother. Unfortunately, student affairs didn't let us do BBQ, so we had to improvise (don't ask how) on short notice. Not everything was sold this time, I'm curious if I can get results on Monday or Tuesday.

The dancing... Well, the word "cliché" apparently hasn't been translated into Chinese. I knew what was coming, so I had prepared earphones - for the "music", or rather against. The dancing itself, while I'm no fan of it, was very well done. Those are all first-year students who practiced a few hours every evening (when, ahem, they should have learned German) for a few weeks.

So, all in all it wasn't bad, although I got home rather late that day. With this being done, can we now perhaps talk Christmas preparations...?

#nkfust #ifad #高科大 #應徳系

It's still a long way to the United Federation of Planets...

It's still a long way to the United Federation of Planets...

Via Robert Partridge​

Originally shared by null

Us vs. Them

Via Brown-Eyed Girl​

Our first year is busy making apple crumb cake for today's October fest. Let the chaos begin...

Our first year is busy making apple crumb cake for today's October fest. Let the chaos begin...

#nkfust #ifad #高科大 #應徳系

That's... Creative?

That's... Creative?
https://www.rt.com/news/407037-gang-takes-over-swedish-supermarket/

In today's lesson we learn how to protect ourselves against investigations (for let's say corruption) against...

In today's lesson we learn how to protect ourselves against investigations (for let's say corruption) against ourselves while we are leading a country. This may become necessary although you are already preparing a law to give yourself immunity, because that law can not work retrospectively:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/immunity-bill-for-prime-minister-to-face-key-vote/

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.817451
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.817451

The campus this morning, slightly fogged.

The campus this morning, slightly fogged. Yes, that pale dot is the sun. Hard to imagine, considering that these are the tropics...

#nkfust #高科大

Really, that's... I mean, "peace"? How can they...

Really, that's... I mean, "peace"? How can they...

However, Col Richard Kemp said that state schools should not be spending taxpayer money on promoting white poppies to pupils.

“If teachers are getting involved in school time or using their professional position, paid for by our taxes, to indoctrinate children in this movement, that is wrong,” the ex-army chief said.

That's right - or rather wrong: You are supposed to indoctrinate them for my side, not theirs! It's so simple: I am right, they are wrong!

Col Kemp, who previously led a campaign to recognise the sacrifice of British troops killed and wounded in action, added: “The red poppy, Remembrance Sunday and everything around it - these are institutions of the state and that is our tradition. It is right that schools should sell red poppies and take part in this.

See? I am right, they are wrong.

“The poppy is not a political hobby horse; it is a means of raising money for the welfare of soldiers and for the families of soldiers who have been  killed, it has a specific purpose which is not political.

Ah, dear colonel, but that is a deeply political purpose: It puts part of the costs of a war outside the budget, directly on the shoulders of the common people. Those, who don't profit from a war in any way.

That makes it easier to start a war, because wars become cheaper. And the dear colonel can get himself a new medal and later maybe a consultancy job for a military contractor...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/10/14/peace-campaigners-accused-indoctrinating-childrenas-teaching/

From birth, children are compelled to go to church, to mosque, to temple, with terrifying promises of damnation or...

From birth, children are compelled to go to church, to mosque, to temple, with terrifying promises of damnation or similar such terrible retributions should they not comply with inscrutable rules. Some religions, of course, do frame this all within a narrative context of love, but at their core is always fear.

And they all want money... Children should be let free of religious influence until they are 18, then they can decide for themselves if they want to join any religion. If they still want to...
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/sally-jones-white-widow-son-death-child-abuse-isis-drone-strike-religious-indoctrination-government-a7997056.html

Apparently, watching bread rolls bake beats watching paint dry or watching grass grow. That oven needs a webcam...

Apparently, watching bread rolls bake beats watching paint dry or watching grass grow. That oven needs a webcam...

#nkfust #ifad #高科大 #應德系

Yes, it's kaiten sushi time!

Yes, it's kaiten sushi time!

Today I made "kalter Hund" (cold dog, although in English the proper name for this cake seems to be hedgehog...

Today I made "kalter Hund" (cold dog, although in English the proper name for this cake seems to be hedgehog something) with a few students. Everyone present in the department office agreed that this needs to be made again, despite my warning that it is a calories bomb.

If you don't know this cake, it's very easy to make (no baking involved, only a fridge is needed) if you have access to hard palm oil and suitable cookies.

You basically mix your own chocolate out of coconut fat/palm oil (we used butter today), eggs, cocoa and sugar, then you lay layer by layer of cookies into your mold, separated by the chocolate mix. In the adult version, cookies are soaked in rum.

This cake should stay in the fridge for at least a day, preferably a week, so I had prepared another one for eating today. Btw, the current world record for the longest such cake is 540m, held by a school in Berlin.

#nkfust #ifad #高科大 #應徳系

This is the first sourdough bread completely made in the department kitchen.

This is the first sourdough bread completely made in the department kitchen. Students, faculty and secretaries had all been curious if we could make this here instead of me preparing the dough at home and only baking it here. Well, next week I'll probably have to show the process to a few people.

As expensive as the oven here must have been, I don't really like it. It's a Bosch hot air oven. It gets hot very quick, but I just can't get it to make a nice brown crust. Still need to work on that...

For the colour: This is our plain wheat flour that is used everywhere in Taiwan, maybe next time I'll use whole wheat.

#nkfust #ifad #高科大 #應徳系

Yes, time to scream...

Yes, time to scream...

Via Torrid Luna​

Originally shared by Spliffs HiGrade

Another baking event in preparation of the department's October fest celebration, but this time the bread rolls were...

Another baking event in preparation of the department's October fest celebration, but this time the bread rolls were only supplemental, the main focus of our attention were three kinds of bratwurst, roast sausage.

A student had made potato salad and everyone present was invited to try everything and voice their opinion. This should be interesting...

#nkfust #ifad #高科大 #應徳系

Title

Eating ice cream at the "Fourth Credit Cooperation" in Taichung.

Eating ice cream at the "Fourth Credit Cooperation" in Taichung. No, this is not a bank, but it was one. When the bank closed and this ice cream parlor moved in, they did not only reuse some counters etc as decorations, they also took the name.

Ice cream is pretty good, what you see in the photo costs about USD 10.

I'm afraid the author of this article may be right.

I'm afraid the author of this article may be right. What happened so far supports his theory. The predictions following from that do not look good...

Yes, of course, this would be the crudest child psychology known to humanity. But when you’re dealing with the crudest child on the planet, and the Doomsday Clock is ticking down from two and a half minutes to midnight, what can there possibly be to lose?
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/donald-trump-revenge-rex-tillerson-generals-obama-presidency-a7989111.html

Oh, almost missed this.

Oh, almost missed this... Apparently, this is the first step towards a babelfish. I'm curious how well it would work between German and Chinese and how far pronunciation may deviate from the ideal.

Is anyone up for bets when this functionality will be available for all Android phones and tablets?
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/google-pixel-buds-babel-fish-translation-in-ear-ai-wireless-language

Yes, let's hope he had a good day at golf.

Yes, let's hope he had a good day at golf. Because that's more important than the lives and safety of the citizens he's leading.

Setting new lows almost every day... Politicians elsewhere will probably be extremely grateful for Trump - because compared to him, it's rather difficult to look bad.

Via Chris Fink​

Originally shared by Ed Christian

"The mayor is living on a cot, and I hope the president has a good day at golf."
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/09/30/general-oversaw-hurricane-katrina-relief-blasting-trumps-puerto-rico-response.html