Favourite Podcasts

While my most able partner delights with his informative and entertaining posts on that most wonderful of amber liquids, I shall serve up other delicious insights.

Today I shall bestow upon you some of my most cherished podcasts.

As we are all busy with work and other unnecessary mundane tasks, it is a real treat to break the monotony with a titillating taste of tasteful, tasty talk. The kind that not only makes you think but also educates and inspires!

One of my adulation's is settling in to a nice podcast whilst sailing around Osaka Bay on my private yacht.










Hmm...perhaps a little paint would help.

And so, without further adieu, I present a gourmet feast of the audible kind.


1. The Atheist Experience
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-atheist-experience/id118720919

For anyone who has ever questioned the religion they were brought up in, this podcast is for you.
I for one became an atheist after examing the teachings of the Bible and seeing how they match up with reality. This podcast will either help you make the difficult transition and set you free...or reaffirm your belief.
Give it a try.


2. The History of Rome - Mike Duncan
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-history-of-rome/id261654474

Wonderfully organized and delivered in a way that is both easy to listen to and very informative.
Mr Duncan knows his subject very well and realizes that in order to digest such a voluminous piece of history, it needs to be divided up into bite sized pieces.
Not only does he succeed, he leaves the listener salivating for the next episode.


3. Ideas from CBC radio
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/ideas-from-cbc-radio-highlights/id151485663

I've always loved CBC radio (slight bias). Wonderfully intelligent and beautifully written programs. With a wide range of topics, one is sure to find something of interest.



4. Monster Talk
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/monstertalk/id325079170

Yes I know that's a picture of John Kerry. But don't worry, he doesn't really exist.

This is podcast for those interested in mythical creatures yet have a desire to dispell the myths with science and reason.
The podcast examines the monter folklore from it's origins to the possible existence or the what-if.
It's a light-hearted podcast but very informative.


5. CBC Quirks and Quarks
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/quirks-quarks-complete-show/id151485804

Again, bias. But hey, it's good!
My mom got me turned on to this gem as a kid. She'd have it on the radio while doing housework, every Sunday.
Quirks and Quarks examines everything from the largest bodies in the universe to the smallest quarks, and anything in between.
With special guest scientists from all over the world, this one hour program is a must listen for anyone who ever wondered 'why?'.


6. QuackCast - Dr Mark Crislip
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/quackcast/id156191063

Do vaccines cause autism?
Is Chiropractic science based medicine?
Why is homeopathy a ridiculous idea?
Will a watermelon really grow in my tummy if I eats da seeds!

This man will set the record straight.
He's funny too.


7. The Skeptics guide to the Universe
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-skeptics-guide-to-universe/id128859062

This is the creme de la creme.
From the site itself...

"The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is a weekly Podcast talkshow discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view. -The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: Your escape to reality"

This is a must listen podcast!

I have enjoyed many an hour sipping tea and listening to these delightful tidbits of erudition.
I invite you to do the same!
I also invite you to share your favourite podcasts with me.
Kindly post them in reply to this blog and if I can pull myself away from my other marvelous pasttimes, I'll give them a listen.
Or, I'll delete them.
They're probably rubbish anyway.



Until then, let me leave you with this.








Sir MikeyB

Microbrews, a la Nippon version 2.0

Ahhhh...I nice full belly of sea bass, clams and a nice little pasta salad. All prepared by Mrs. Gaijinforlife. Best of all, she brought home two brand spankin' new micro-brews for dessert! So with James Brown on the CD player, ON WISS ZEE BLOG!!!!

Today features two very confusing little brews. I had to ask Toshi where exactly their hometown of Miyazaki is. She told me, and I quote: "Kyushu, Oita no minami...kana?" For those of you who are Nihongo-impaired, that translates as "Kyushu (the southernmost island of mainland Japan), Oita (all I know is that there is a soccer team in J2 there and a monkey mountain!)....I think it's south of there?" She was correct as well. It is indeed, quite far south of Oita. Oh, and a short distance away from there, there are a bunch of hot-springs, each with its own theme. I suggest the crocodile one. Try to catch feeding time.

The Hideji Brewery boasts eight different types of brew, but Sogo was only carrying two (Bastards!). The "Taiyou no Ragaa" (Lager of the Sun) and the Shinkan no Peeru Eeru (Pale Ale of Silence) were an odd little couple. The Lager of the Sun was the lager, right? Thing is that it was far cloudier than the pale ale. This confused me a bit - ever since I had my first taste of rubbing alcohol at the age of 4 (four and a HALF says my inner child), I have always thought that pale ales were supposed to be cloudier than lagers. Justice was served - albeit only slightly - when the Mrs told me that it said American pale ale on the bottle. I figured that since American macrobrews can't tell the discrepancies between a beer and the liquid I just pissed into the toilet, we have to give them a pass this time. Their other variations of brew look, for the most part, better than what we had today.

The "lager" actually tasted more like an ale and the "pale ale" had more the ring of a lager.

I'll start with Lager of the Sun. Not really impressed. The fact that I think they, in all honest of mistakes or complete idiocy, messed up the labels. That should give you enough of an idea as to how the rest of this is going to read. It was very...meh. It had a smooth taste to it, but not a whole lot of personality. It's one that goes down into the files of mediocrity. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. The beer was on the table, and it was alright. Definitely not one that I'm going to rush back to Sogo and shell out another 500 yen for.










How many times have you heard this one: if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. The name of this beer is "Pale Ale of Silence" and it apparently has nothing nice to say. It was not particularly mean either. Nonetheless, it remains silent. Smooth on the tongue with a slightly bitter aftertaste, I was struggling to find personality for this one as well. There was simply nothing that jumped out at me and said "Hey whiteboy! I'm a damned fine beer and you're going to order another one of me instead of an Yebisu next time!" In fact, I had trouble differentiating it from most other macrobrews. In conclusion - why on Buddha's big belly would you make a microbrew if it's going to taste like something I can get at Lawson's for half the price?

Sorry to disappoint kids. Nothing else to blog about today I guess. See ya next time!!!

Microb

My Most Sincere Apologies

It has come to my attention that I have not been heeding my duties as a blog-master. For this reason, my apologies go out to all of you, my loyal minions.

But on to the awesome future!!!!

As I sit here hungover from not only last night, but also the past world cup, I realized something pretty cool....England SUCKS!!!!

Now before all you Brits mob me like the final scene of Green Street Hooligans (I've got a point to make about this), I have plenty of reasons.

Reason 1: Wayne Rooney. We have a chant for this back in America that annoys the whole world (as if anything America does doesn't annoy the whole world) which goes something like this. Sure, he's great for his club and keeps the loyal Manchester United supporters singing. But for country? I'll give him one thing - 65 caps and 25 goals. Not too shabby. But keep in mind that most of these goals come in friendlies. Also known as "games that don't actually matter." Put him in the World Cup or Euro qualifiers, and he wanders around the field wondering where he's going to buy his next hooker from.

Reason 2: Keepers. England couldn't keep a camel out of a toaster oven with a shotgun. Their keepers are phenomenally awful. In the Sun's recent survey of the Top 10 Premier League Goalkeepers, there are only three Brits. Basically, f the Premiership made rules limiting foreigners, the season record for goals would be shattered in three games. By the by, Robert Green made that top ten list. You know your keepers are shit when Robert Green is the seventh best keeper in your league. Let us not forget this beauty:













Bend over and take it like a man.

Oh, and Tim Howard is the man!

Reason three: David Beck-ham is your hero. Refer to reason one, and then check out my homie's site Beer and Soccer dot com. I was going to copy and paste the whole article, but it's not my joke. David Beck-ham: whatapuss. He needs to re-negotiate his hair treatment contract. The sooner he leaves America the better. I hope he gets shot in LA.

Reason 4: England invented the game. This has happened time and time again all over the world in all types of sports. Baseball: the Japanese and Dominicans OWN that game. Sumo: Mongolians dominate the sport. Cricket: Belongs to the Aussies. Rugby: pick a country - Wales even took that one from you guys and they aren't even on the Union Jack. I would have to say that soccer belongs to the Brazilians. If not, their women have the best asses so we'll give it to them just so we can see more Brazilian women on TV.

The fact of the matter is that I could go on like his forever. It seems that there are no English in the English league. There are no English anywhere else. England is a mediocre team who used to be good. There are tons of plastic fans for England who probably couldn't name anyone other than the aforementioned muppet duo of Wayne & Becks.

England sucks, but I love your beer and your bars. See ya tonight for Wayne "more-problems-than-a -shrink" Rooney vs. Tim "I-dare-you-to-shoot" Howard.

I'm out.