Million dollar coffees, but do we really need a 'degree' to get one!?

I was amused and a little confused to read that an American university is offering a degree for being a barista! Is a 3 to four year qualification really that necessary to make a good cup of coffee? OK, it probably is in the USA given that they still insist on that terrible drip type coffee that NZ got rid of years ago in favour of quality flat whites and espressos.

One wonders how they would fill in the time needed to attain the degree. Will they spend months on the ‘country of origin’ for the beans, attend countless tasting sessions,  resulting in an allergic reaction every time they taste coffee once they have their ‘papers?’ Will they need eyes tests to recognise the perfect colouration of the exact ‘look’ of the ‘real thing?’

I am not denigrating the work and skills of a good barista, but is this not one step too far? It does make one wonder just what next the ‘qualification stakes’ will demand. I am sure you can come up with a few; like polishing your car, or furniture removal; all much needed occupations, but---a degree---some on-----get real!

Yes, after writing this blog, I shall still be able to look my favourite baristas at Eden Coffee in Mt Eden---right in the eye, in the knowledge that they make fabulous coffee, probably leant on the spot with the odd ‘refresher’ course thrown in for quality control.

Ok --please smile and don’t take my post too seriously or you may need a degree in the ‘recognising of posts that take the piss.’

www.authorneilcoleman.com

What's in the fridge---time for a healthy and cheap dinner.

My food friend Doug, who has had the same operation as me (Bariatric surgery) has  anew lease on life; so much so that his garden is once again abundant and overflowing with 'good things.' There is no way he can consume the treasures he grows, even if he invites people for dinner every night and hey---a guys gotta have some down-time-alone eh.
Get the picture yet? Yes---correct---I came home yesterday and there, hanging on the fence was a gab of home grown delights; some young kale, lettuce and rosemary. Blessed are you, Doug!
Tonight when I arrived home after the usual walk with Perdy, down at the 'Bay,' I decided to cook up a healthy treat using some of Doug's generosity and whatever I could find in the fridge. I found three flat mushrooms, and a pottle of soft tofu. Cool---the 'use by date' is several days away, so---whoopee--it's chuck in, whatever and there will be enough for dinner and lunch tomorrow.
 I add some oil to a frypan and biff in the cut mushrooms and garlic, then add the tofu with some stock power and paprika with a little sweet soy sauce.  Then I added some pepper and chilly  flakes. After a few minutes I add the cut up kale and let the whole lot simmer with the lid on for about ten minutes. I turn the cooker off and let it sit.
Yummy and oh so dammed healthy; you wouldn't know it. Go try and if it doesn't take your fancy, try any combination of your favourite 'condiments.' The amount I made would have fed  about four people if you had it on rice. I tend to go really light now on the carbs, but you don't have to.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

 

China 'spreads its influence into the South Pacific! How--by reading blogs and books!

Go China. You have overhauled Germany again and really reaching out to us in NZ and to me in particular. Keep it up and soon you will have the UK in your sights. Download my book from
www.authorneilcoleman.com

ISIL--the new force in the Middle East? What to do!

The people of Iraq and nearby states are faced with a stark choice, if the reports of the mass slaughter of former Iraqi army personnel are correct. That these soldiers can be lined up and murdered after surrendering, should pose a warning to the citizens of Iraq; just what will happen when these ‘insurgents’ gain more power and influence? They are reportedly on the outskirts of Bagdad and some large cities have fallen to them, with little resistance coming from the army.

We are belatedly hearing reports of resistance from the Kurds, who have indeed taken back some territory in the North and of the mass signing up of citizens to join the Iraqi army. It seems that it is either doing that or face an uncertain future with the ‘rebels’ calling themselves the ISIL. If the latter do manage to take control of Bagdad, the writing from the walls of the region will become a sad truth and the ramifications for regions far flung will be felt soon, most notably in the price we all pay for our ‘gas.’

It is this that drives the possibility of a response from the USA and its partners, not some deeply felt humanitarian reasoning that is often quoted as justification for an ‘intervention.’ We even have the most unlikely possibility of Iran supporting the USA in an effort to stop the spread of the ideology and influence of the ISIL forces. Who would have believed that such an ‘unholy union’ would be on the cards, given the difficult history between those two nations? It should come as no surprise though if one looks back at the history of the region as a whole and how the various nations came into being and the underlying religious, power and economic forces that play into alliances.

Iraq is at a crossroads. It either settles internal differences between the two main groups and come to a real power-sharing arrangement, of face a downward spiral whereby the ISIL forces take over and we witness a pariah state that will make anything we have seen from the likes of the ‘Butcher of Damascus’ or the regime of former leader or Iraq---the one who gave reason for the USA and its allies to invade a decade ago, look like a non-event. Has this all been for nothing? In the meantime, the borders of Iraq will leak misery as those trying to escape to a more peaceful life flee the advancing ISIL forces.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Dinner at my place and a 'green' solution to doing the dishes--in every sense!

I shall be celebrating the opening of my new office soon and no doubt there will be a few 'ceremonies;' ones that will satisfy many faiths and belief systems. This will culminate in a 'fun-food' day and I shall display my latest addition to my staff re 'doing the wash-up. Of course you can help, if you can get on down to your knees--no for praying, but feel free. I believe in 'saving the planet' from nasty chemicals and using too much water. Still wanna come to dinner? Hey, Perdy---I told you to wear your apron---that's not good enough, doing the dishes in the raw!' Oh well, they are clean though.

Perdy, the clean and green washing machine! 'Did I do well Daddy?'

Congratulations, you have won a $2000 prize! Here we go again.

Isn't it wonderful when you hear those magic words? It's even better when you have forgotten that you had actually entered a competition, until the lovely lady on the end of the phone, who addresses you by name, reminds you of the online survey, one of many that you had completed lately, has borne fruit.
Well that happened yesterday and she got me when I was tired so I let her continue; after all, I didn't want to be rude. Hell she had taken time out of her busy day to be nice to me and actually do something for me. Isn't the world wonderful at times. She continues to wax lyrical about my luck and that the prize was about $2000 worth of grocery vouchers at a well known supermarket. Now, to put things into perspective, I often tell people that they should never believe that you get something for nothing! out the window with that sage advice as she continues to pretend that she knows me well; in a sense she does, but more about that soon.
She has a lovely British tone to her voice, a quality that seemed to trap me; perhaps it was the sheer enthusiasm or way she had of making me believe that I had to respond by listening without interrupting, something exceedingly hard for me to maintain.
Suddenly the call took on a new direction. It seemed that the focus of winning a prize shifted to one whereby I 'could' win the prize. There were conditions. Why the feck didn't I tell  her I wasn't interested in the following offer? She asked me what life insurance I had. I meekly told her and she suggested that her company could do better and all I had to do was to meet with a representative of her company and see if they could do better. I told her that at my age, I wasn't interested in increasing my cover I had on my life and that indeed I had reached a stage where I should be cutting everyday expenses, in the run up to retirement in the future. No one wants to spend more than their income after all.
That was no problem she assured me and wouldn't it be better to even save a few dollars a week by changing provider. OK, she had well and truly worn me down. I was hungry and just wanted her to ---well you know---F----off! I let her arrange for a colleague to visit me the following Thursday to present me with an offer and finally she 'let me go.'
When I put the phone down I was left with this feeling that I had been thoroughly mauled by a great white shark of the insurance industry. How the hell did I let that happen!?
That night I kept thinking about what 'I had allowed.' How dare her talk me into something that I now consider to be entirely frivolous. I don't want or need to change companies.
Today that feeling increased and I decided to take action. The pushy lady had left me cell phone number of the 'agent' who was going to visit me on the Thursday. I texted him and said that I was no longer interested. he has not replied. If he comes, I shall let my Jack Russell entertain him outside the gate and inquire why he did not respond to my text. If the 'lovely lady' rings I shall inform her that I have several 'modalities with which I use when dealing with salespeople who contact me 'cold.' I would label my first response as Code One and would maintain a professional politeness. If she persists, I shall lift the level, warning her the next level would be one which involved forceful language. Finally if the hint is not taken, I shall resort to 'gutter language and by that stage it could well be necessary for her to call the police because, well--- such words are quite creatively impossible to follow through on if biology is brought into the area under discussion.
All this could have been avoided if I had not persisted in filling in those damn online surveys. They are not a tool in which you are helping yourself, by winning prizes. They are merely a tool by which information about you is gathered in order to come back at you to sell 'products' at a later stage, so from now on, if I fill in a survey I am going to 'have fun,' declaring all sorts of income levels and affiliations with groups that could well attract the attention of spy agencies, world wide and possibly have me banned from many institutions!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Iraqi army melts away in the face of the Jihadists.

After years of being propped up by the USA and receiving extensive training and equipment, the Iraqi army has simply vanished as the Jihadists take over a second major city. What does tis say about what Iraq's people want and how deeply the Jihadists have penetrated Iraqi society? Does it mean that the medieval preaching's of the Taliban-type 'psychos' have taken root to the point that any alternative tis no longer a viable scenario? Are the Iraqi people so war-weary that they and their institutions have simply given up on any prospect of peace, democracy and a Government free of corruption? How much influence have the actions of the USA and its allies had on this terrible outcome?
We all know who suffers most--- the weakest in this society; the women, children and elderly. While the politicians involve themselves in 'tribal' and semi-religious quarrels and the greed for 'power,' the ordinary citizens seek peace in lands elsewhere. Now we have the prospect of the USA bombing the jihadists back to the sans form whence they came, with the inevitable 'collateral' that goes along with any military response. THERE ARE NO WINNERS in this diabolical battlefield that is Iraq.