Silly/Odd News Stories from around the World

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

The rise of lazy foods

I agree with this article, i like making my food by doing the peeling, cutting, boiling, etc all by myself since i enjoy the food that i made. The thought of knowing people are buying pre-cut, pre-peel etc food just makes me sigh about how lazy people are.

It's not just being lazy, in a lot of cases it's a matter of time. Let's say both parents are working. They come home and have to fix their kids dinner. They've got 3 choices, make something from scratch which means no one's eating until right before the kids go to bed, make something quick and easy, or go out/order take out. It might not be as good as making something from scratch, but it's a lot better than eating fast food every night.

[MrTerrorist]

True, these kinds of food are helpful for older people who don't have to do much work.

[Dilla]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

It's not just being lazy, in a lot of cases it's a matter of time. Let's say both parents are working. They come home and have to fix their kids dinner. They've got 3 choices, make something from scratch which means no one's eating until right before the kids go to bed, make something quick and easy, or go out/order take out. It might not be as good as making something from scratch, but it's a lot better than eating fast food every night.

Yeah, and don't forget single parent households. My mother didn't come home till 8-9 at night when I was a kid, so she didn't have time to make anything from scratch (plus she's only an average cook in the first place).

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

It's not just being lazy, in a lot of cases it's a matter of time. Let's say both parents are working. They come home and have to fix their kids dinner. They've got 3 choices, make something from scratch which means no one's eating until right before the kids go to bed, make something quick and easy, or go out/order take out. It might not be as good as making something from scratch, but it's a lot better than eating fast food every night.

You forgot the fourth choice - meal planning. Only the biggest of meals takes more than 30 minutes to cook from scratch*, and for things that need to cook longer (like a large roast for example) toss it in the slow cooker and it'll be nice and juicy when you come home.

There's a metric f-ton of books and guides out there on how to create a huge variety of dishes that don't take much preparation or budget, just good planning and organizational skills.

Not enough time is just an excuse for most. They have time, they just don't use it wisely.

*by scratch I mean store bought parts.

[FateAnomaly]

You think everyone has the same priority as you have regarding food? Its just food. Just eat it and be done with it.

And 30 mins is bull. A normal meal for a family will take more than that and theres the cleaning up to do afterwards.

[ClockWorkAngel]

30 minutes is wayyy too little time, unless you have two or three extra pairs of hands helping you, and even then. From square one to the finishing line for most families (Eg. one member doing it all) a standard meal will take you a good amount of time, a big meal can easily take over an hour easy.

@Fate Please cleaning's for the Commis

Some people don't care about what they put in their mouths, it depends on the family and the person. Reading over the comments on the original article there are some good things about it; it makes life easier for the elderly and is better than eating out etc.

I don't think it'll replace the way dinner will be made, and of course going out, they'll never bother with the processed stuff (Too expensive). It's a modern day convenience, that's all it is.

[LynnieS]

Spoiler for Size of the image. May be NSFW.:

I picked this up on a Twitter post from an online friend, and thought I would share. Someone (and no comment on his tastes...) has put a lot of thought into this. While I would admire his hard work, his choice of a... research topic - in how to... work around the length of a skirt, shall we say? - is a bit LOL.

[Woopzilla]

That's... dedication. Is there a translation for that?

What is the topic? The shortest skirt a girl can wear while going up a staircase without worrying ... or... how you should position yourself to get a view?

[Haruka_Kitten]

He's obviously put a lot of thought into that...

[MeoTwister5]

So trigonometry IS useful!

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Solace

You forgot the fourth choice - meal planning. Only the biggest of meals takes more than 30 minutes to cook from scratch*, and for things that need to cook longer (like a large roast for example) toss it in the slow cooker and it'll be nice and juicy when you come home.

There's a metric f-ton of books and guides out there on how to create a huge variety of dishes that don't take much preparation or budget, just good planning and organizational skills.

Not enough time is just an excuse for most. They have time, they just don't use it wisely.

*by scratch I mean store bought parts.

*High fives*
- Took the words, right out of my mouth.

Funny how both my parents have worked all their lives, but as kids there was cooked meals in the house.
It is a case of meal planning and cooking up stews or dishes that can be heated by the kids (depending on age) when they get back from school.
Or in my case, I was doing the cooking sometimes when I came home from school (like sticking rice in the rice cooker) or something, but with strict time management and planning, home cooked meals can be eaten, so it is just laziness.

Originally Posted by FateAnomaly

You think everyone has the same priority as you have regarding food? Its just food. Just eat it and be done with it.

And 30 mins is bull. A normal meal for a family will take more than that and theres the cleaning up to do afterwards.

Normal family meal going by what culture?
The response was people claming to have no time, so to make food is impossible and already cut/peeled/fried yada yada packaged meals are needed, which Solace was pointing out that you don't need much time to make something pretty decent.
On a weekday when parents are working, I doubt they'd be time for a big family sitdown (like a Sunday Roast, kinda thing).

Also, if food was just food, then humans wouldn't have various opinions on taste.
Food is one of the very few free pleasures in life that humans have as a species. (sex being another)
Good food, home made food is almost orgasmic in itself, especially when you consume something that tastes to damn good, you smile no?
(Hell, your mouth waters when you know you're about to eat something amazing).
It leaves you wanting more, you feel good and the memories tend to last of a particular dish that you had which you enjoyed greately (or hated, lol)

[JMvS]

Originally Posted by Mystique

*High fives*
- Took the words, right out of my mouth.

Funny how both my parents have worked all their lives, but as kids there was food in the house.
It is a case of meal planning and cooking up stews or dishes that can be heated by the kids (depending on age) when they get back from school.
Or in my case, I was doing the cooking sometimes when I came home (like sticking rice in the rice cooker) or something, but with strict time management and planning, home cooked meals can be eaten, so it is just laziness.

I concur, as my parent were able to do the same, while working together. Of course it helps if the children are brought up to be a little responsible: cook an egg, boil pastas, steam rice, wash a salad or heat some stew without burning it aren't such complicated things.

I admit that more often than not, we would use conventional shortcuts: pre leveled dough for pies (coupled with frozen spinach or cheese for some delicious pies), canned peeled tomatoes for sauces. But anyway, it has been normal for centuries now to buy bread and buy pre grinded and mixed spices... but come on... pre minced onions....

Normal family meal going by what culture?
The response was people claming to have no time, so to make food is impossible and already cut/peeled/fried yada yada packaged meals are needed, which Solace was pointing out that you don't need much time to make something pretty decent.
On a weekday when parents are working, I doubt they'd be time for a big family sitdown (like a Sunday Roast, kinda thing).

Actually "culture" here is a key point, although not in the traditional sense (if you look into all cultures, traditional cooking is always time consuming); it has to do with the fact that the available time hasn't so much shrunk, but is now allotted to new priorities: watching the daily ration of TV, surfing the daily ration of Internet; at the expense of gathering to prepare and eat food together.

Also, if food was just food, then humans wouldn't have various opinions on taste.
Food is one of the very few free pleasures in life that humans have as a species. (sex being another)
Good food, home made food is almost orgasmic in itself, especially when you consume something that tastes to damn good, you smile no?
It leaves you wanting more, you feel good and the memories tend to last of a particular dish that you had which you enjoyed greately (or hated, lol)

Sadly, due to the aforementioned evolution, more and more peoples, if not whole "cultures", see food as nothing but fuel... true Epicurian can have it hard in some places.
Now food tend to be associated with either fuel needed to run the body, a compulsive need, or a way to get a nice/healthy body. Appreciating and savoring it for it's intrinsic value tend to be a minority behavior alas...

[FateAnomaly]

By normal i mean chinese where a normal homecooked meal consist of rice and at least 3 dishes. Of course if you want to be fast you can just throw everything into 1 pot and call it a stew or something. While technically it is still homecooked, it is really not much different from what i can buy just 5 mins walk from home.

I know most people like eating but i myself don't particularly like eating. I eat because i get hungry and since i have to eat, it might as well be good. If i can forgo eating altogether with no adverse effect i would do it. But eating is good for social purposes too though.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

So trigonometry IS useful!

*facepalm* Not for such purposes though.

[Jinto]

Originally Posted by Solace

...
Not enough time is just an excuse for most. They have time, they just don't use it wisely.
...

If we consider the economical aspect, it is still better if I work 1 or 0.5 hours for my employer instead of cooking my meals in that time. I pay between 1.80€ and 5€ for a meal at the staff canteen (employer pays 25% of the meal). Now since I usually take two full meals that is somwhere in the region of 4€ to 10€ at lunch (6€ average).

The good thing is I need very little at the evening then.

If I had to cook two meals, it would cost me at least an hour + food costs (lets say 4€ or 5€ for the raw food). So, it would basically cost me approximately 26€ - 42% income tax/health care/and so on... means I actually pay approximately 17€ for the two meals instead of just 4€ to 10€ (average 6€).

Using that logic, I have not enough time (time = money)... since it would only make sense for me to cook the meals myself if they could be cooked almost instantly (10 to 15 minutes).

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Mystique

*High fives*
- Took the words, right out of my mouth.

Funny how both my parents have worked all their lives, but as kids there was cooked meals in the house.
It is a case of meal planning and cooking up stews or dishes that can be heated by the kids (depending on age) when they get back from school.
Or in my case, I was doing the cooking sometimes when I came home from school (like sticking rice in the rice cooker) or something, but with strict time management and planning, home cooked meals can be eaten, so it is just laziness.

I could just as easily claim that not doing it is being a snob or a picky eater. Different people have different priorities, and thus different habits. That's all it is.

Normal family meal going by what culture?
The response was people claming to have no time, so to make food is impossible and already cut/peeled/fried yada yada packaged meals are needed, which Solace was pointing out that you don't need much time to make something pretty decent.
On a weekday when parents are working, I doubt they'd be time for a big family sitdown (like a Sunday Roast, kinda thing).

Also, if food was just food, then humans wouldn't have various opinions on taste.
Food is one of the very few free pleasures in life that humans have as a species. (sex being another)
Good food, home made food is almost orgasmic in itself, especially when you consume something that tastes to damn good, you smile no?
(Hell, your mouth waters when you know you're about to eat something amazing).
It leaves you wanting more, you feel good and the memories tend to last of a particular dish that you had which you enjoyed greately (or hated, lol)

Yeah, and? I honestly can't tell the difference between so-called "good" food and fast food. I like eating, but as far as I'm concerned, if it's good, it's good, regardless of how long it took to prepare or what kind of ingredients were used.

Frankly, instead of wasting my time preparing a deal, I'd just as soon microwave it and use the time to read. A pleasure that isn't shared by "humans as a species", but guess what? I don't give a damn. I like it, so that's what I do.


And while we're on the subject of the conveniences of modern life - how many of you guys who love to peel potatoes sew your own clothes? Build your own furniture (and no, Ikea doesn't count)? How many of you prefer to send mails or phone to going to meet your friends every single time you've got something to tell them? Or, heck, just staying on the subject of food - you buy whole potatoes and carrots. Good for you. Why not grow them yourself instead?

[FateAnomaly]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

And while we're on the subject of the conveniences of modern life - how many of you guys who love to peel potatoes sew your own clothes?

I actually admire a person who can sew more than a person who can cook.

[ClockWorkAngel]

Sewing's a dying art; but even a rudimentary knowledge of it is hella useful.

Anti-Smoking Campaign in Moscow Promotes Child Abuse

Anti-Smoking Campaign in Moscow Promotes Child Abuse

Moscow’s Committee for City Advertising harshly condemned anti-tobacco posters depicting a sleeping baby with a cigarette put down against her back. The campaign, specialists of the committee said, went beyond the framework of ethical norms and promoted abuse of children.

The infamous billboards appeared in Moscow in March. They depict a sleeping baby with a cigarette butt put down against her back. The slogan on the billboard says: “Smoking in child’s presence is a much bigger torture for him.”

Many Muscovites said that they found the billboards revolting. The company, which designed the campaign, said that the billboards had been made to show everyone that smoking in children’s presence was unacceptable for any reasonable person.

“Any normal person will be disgusted with what the picture shows. But if thousands of children have a chance to stop inhaling tobacco smoke every day, we believe we could sacrifice our visual comfort for that. When a smoker lights up a cigarette in children’s presence, she should realize the pain that her habit causes to them. We believe that this campaign sends a strong social message that leaves no one indifferent,” a spokesman for the advertising agency said.

Russian bloggers wrote that the billboards are monstrous. They acknowledge that the billboards are attention-catchers indeed, but they are displayed to both adults and children. The latter may perceive the image as an absolutely normal phenomenon, RIA Novosti reports.

The social campaign under the slogan “You Don’t Care?!” was launched in January with the “Bullet” poster. The poster depicted a lit cigarette with a bullet flying out of it. The slogan on the poster said: “When you inhale, you kill yourself, when you exhale, you kill others.”

The campaign was designed to attract public attention to such big issues as health, ecology and drivers’ responsibility.

The Moscow government also intends to take tough measures to rescue Muscovites from cigarettes. Moscow officials discussed a possibility to ban smoking in cafes and restaurants of the city.

Restaurateurs supported the idea. Spokespeople for the tobacco industry suggested ending tobacco advertising in the Moscow subway for a start.

Source: Pravda.Ru

If it's not one thing, it's another

[LynnieS]

Originally Posted by Woopzilla

What is the topic? The shortest skirt a girl can wear while going up a staircase without worrying ... or... how you should position yourself to get a view?

The 2nd, I believe, but the text is so tiny... It seems to be done more as a joke or a play on how far some people would go to look up women's skirts using a micro camera and such.

Sex shop must pay full tax rate

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European judges have ruled that a sex shop with movie cubicles does not qualify for a reduced rate of sales tax because it is not a cinema. The decision by the European Court of Justice -- Europe's highest court -- follows a dispute in Belgium involving a sex shop which levied value-added tax of 6 percent on its activities rather than the standard rate of 21 percent.

Now a value-added tax is a consumption tax imposed on all value added to a product, so... With that definition, does this mean a sex shop, due to the higher tax charged, actually adds more value (to society or consumers?) than a movie cinema, or are we just talking about the goods that each place sells and how they benefit society?

[icecreamlover]

ROFL coin operated WTF!!! is that the one where like a penny machine? but this time its real girls?