Text 12698, 134 rader
Skriven 2007-03-06 16:38:33 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Michael Loo
Ärende: MAKING CONNECTIONS70306
===============================
 -=> Quoting Michael Loo to Glen Jamieson <=-

 ML> What was the cause of changes in regime? There can't be that
 ML> many clans on the island, and they must have learned to live
 ML> with each other over the years.
 GJ> Votes of no confidence in whoever was the current President.

 ML> Sometimes I think that such a system would be useful in the
 ML> United States, but it could easily be overused. I suppose

That system is used in PNG, and resulted in leader changes of one a
year or more, until a law was brought in to say that no changes could
take place until at least 2 years after electing a Prime Minister.
Then stability came, and the present PNG Prime Minister, Michael
Somare, was also the country's first, elected in 1974.  The most
common cause of votes of no confidence was when an MP had been
promised a Ministerial position if he voted for PM candidate A, but
then after the vote the PM could not give that position, which he had
also promised to someone else, for the same reason.  Then an opposing
party candidate B would make the same offer, with the same result.

 ML> that your three presidents, two of whom jetted abroad for
 ML> medical reasons, and the other probably likewise for nefarious
 ML> ones, were from three different clans.

I don't know.  Clan attachment is not very important. as all marriage
has to be with someone from a different clan, thus everyone is
related.  The main distinguishing feature of each clan is who owns
what area of land. This used to result in inter-clan fighting, until
the Germans colonised the country, accurately surveyed the land and
documented it all.  Then there was peace.  (Good Germans!)
 
 GJ> Originally there were 13 clans, as represented by the 12 point star on
 GJ> the flag, but I think there are only about 9 left.

 ML> The other four, did they assimilate into the nine, or did
 ML> they genetically lack the capability to assimilate VB in
 ML> their diets?

During WW2 the Japanese occupied the island and built the airstrip,
and deported most of the population to other islands, where a lot of
them died, including the last members of some clans.  The remaining
Nauruans were forced to make alcoholic coconut toddy to keep the
Japanese soldiers happy. This was probably necessary because there was
so little food on the island that the commandant collected all the
soldiers excrement and placed into empty fuel drums and grew pumpkins
for them to eat.

The commandant took the wife of one of the clan chiefs as his sex
slave, gaining her cooperation as the price of allowing her husband to
continue to live.  (Bad Japanese!)  He was later executed as a war
criminal.  A daughter born of this liason married the local Australian
representative of AESOP, the volunteer organisation for which I
worked at that time.  It was a happy marriage.  (Good Australian.)

 GJ> ran out of money (surprise!) and eventually was reduced to one plane,
 GJ> which was flown round the clock by 3 or more flight crews, who mainly
 GJ> lived at the hotel in between duty flights.

 ML> And maintenance?

One day a week was spent in Melbourne, with maintenance being done by
the Qantas engineers.  It had to be of the highest standard, as it
flew all over the Pacific, hopping between islands where there were
virtually no workshops or service facilities, and a breakdown on, for
example, Funafuti, Pohnpei, or even Nauru, would be disastrous and
very expensive, requiring an engineer to be flown out on a chartered
plane to fix it.  When I flew on it, it was very well looked after,
and the flight engineers had to be able to do a lot of minor work
themselves.  When it had to go for "C" service, a replacement was
hired from Qantas.  This was not as well maintained, and in fact, one
did break down, requiring a maintenance engineer and spare part to be
flown out on a Cessna Citation.  That cost heaps!
 
 GJ> there is talk that the original Qantas will be downgraded to JetStar
 GJ> standards, with a corresponding loss of pilots' salaries and perks.

 ML> I knew a guy who was a pilot, and he described his job as like
 ML> "driving a very big car." Never figured out why some professions
 ML> are paid quite well and others quite poorly.

Supply (low on pilots, high on musicians) and demand (vice versa).

 -=> Glen Jamieson said to Jim Weller <=-
 
 JW> I would never eat anything with Minute Rice in it! [vbg]
 ML> That actually had been my thought on the subject.
 
 GJ> Or even feed it to the ravens!
 ML> Unless you wanted to poison them.

Neekha, who can talk to ravens, would warn them not to eat it.
 
 GJ> Title: About Kasubha

 ML> I've seen this substance described as "marigold petals."

Like achuete (atsuete), used for colour, more than flavour.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: BATANGAS ADOBO
 Categories: Asian, Filipino, Meat
      Yield: 6 Servings
 
    500 g  Cubed beef
    200 g  Cubed beef heart
    100 g  Cubed beef liver
    500 g  Cubed pork
      1 c  Vinegar (to taste)
      1    Garlic head
    1/2 t  Black pepper
      1 t  Salt
      1 c  Atsuete water
 
  To make atsuete water, soak 3 T atsuete seeds in 1 c of warm water.
  
  Cut all meats into serving pieces.  In a saucepan, combine vinegar,
  garlic, pepper, salt.  Put in beef and beef heart.  Let cook for 20
  minutes.  Add pork, beef liver and atsuete water and simmer until
  tender. Strain sauce.  Brown the garlic and then the meats in hot
  oil.  Return to saucepan.  Cover and simmer until sauce thickens.
  
  "Galing Galing" Philippine Cuisine, by Nora and Mariles Daza.
  
  :       Typed by Glen J - Feb, 2003
 
MMMMM
 

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 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)