A gentle reminder...




Happenings on the Blogosphere

Ah the blogosphgere, or Planet Blog, or the realm of Blogdom, or whatever you want to call it. Isn't it just frightening how it takes over your life and turns you into a square eyed nerd. Sad thing is more and more people want to join everyday...

Take Monsieur JAW for example -- he's just set up a Vietnam based photo-blog there so keep your eyes on that one. In the meantime you can check out his photos of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos.

Then there's Mr. Brian Jeffrey Fabian III, ex-Hanoian, one quarter Panamanian, who's now living it up in San Fran and under the delusion that he can get fit enough to run the SF marathon. He will be chronicling his slow realisation that tacos, absinthe and brews won't help his race for fitness over at this blog.

Personally I don't think he can even keep his blog going for that long.

A disturbing shot of a deer's head

Don't click on this link if you like Bambi or don't like to see decapitated heads of animals hanging off a clothes line. Via those oh-so-sadistic food lovers at Sticky Rice.

Save us from this misery satellite...

This is ground control to Major Tuan, the plain people of the countryside can't get good reception for the Manchester united games on Saturday or a decent enough internet connection to set up a blog...
"Viet Nam will launch the national satellite VINASAT-1 on the morning of April 12 at a cost of more than US$200 million, bringing countless benefits to farmers and other Vietnamese living in remote and isolated areas." via the SNooze.

Headline of the morning

Cannae find the online version but the morning's Than Nien printed daily's bauld headline read: SPERM SHORTAGE. Certainly got my attention. In case you're interested you have to be between 18-45, have completed the 9th grade and have healthy mobile sperm. VND150,00 a pop apparently.

You might remember...

You might remember the picture of the man with the silly inflatable hat that I posted (see below)... well now that Bertie has resigned as Taoiseach of Ireland due to the "controversy over his private financial affairs", it appears that that man, the bauld Brian Cowen, will indeed be the man on top.

* Paragraph of the month

From this month's VN Economic news: "The experts have said that when more is spent on imports than earned on exports one can say that inefficiency is present. Experts said that. And this is why this should not be allowed to happen. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked its experts to find a way to fix this trade deficit problem. In reply, the experts said that they need to have a long-term state-level research project funded."

As spotted by CLUB CAMA's expert economic research department.


* If you could bottle the craic....

That's the Irish Tanaiste (DPM) there in Hanoi for St. Patrick's Day with a hat on his head that says -- "look-at-me-I'm-Irish-and-I'm -having-the-craic!"

Those two men in dashing silk t-shirts smiles' say "look at us we just crashed this embassy do and stuck a silly hat on the Tanaiste's head -- wahey!"





* 'Emission impossible'

Get ready, Thanh Nien is about to spoil your day: "With the number of pollutant-emitting vehicles approaching 4 million in HCMC, and volumes increasing daily in Vietnam’s cities, you can be sure that you’ll need more than a thin piece of fabric to improve your long-term health prospects here."


* Would the owner of registration....

If the fella who owns this car also reads Thanh Nien he might be smart enough to change the colour of his licence plates...

"The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has denied ownership of a US$126,000 Mercedes seen driving around the city with government plates recently. City officials Tuesday denied the rumor that the municipal administration owned the Mercedes CLS500, estimated to cost at least VND2 billion. The rumor spread because the car, spotted driving around District 1 by several residents, carries blue government license plates.Under government regulations, official cars provided to HCMC officials must cost no more than VND800 million ($50,400), including taxes..."

* Hair today

The police stopped 200 wee rascals (tieng viet only) driving without their helmets from March 15 to March 16 in HN. Meanwhile 10,000 people still wear helmets without straps and back to front in a fashion that says, "Hey, look at me! I'm having the craic driving this motorbike with my helmet on the wrong way around -- wahey!"

* New airlines...

I'm not sure if Air Speed Up is a name that will inspire confidence in an airline for nervous fliers...

"Vietnam is expected to license its second private airlines named Air Speed Up this month, and a third one called Phu Quoc Air in the next few months..."

Bits and pieces...
* A letter from Hanoi: Short letter-article in the Irish Times today -- subscription only I'm afraid -- on Hanoi. Just a quick whirl through life at large and a chunk of history. One thing jarred.. "To a continual chorus of get-out-of-my-way toots, vehicles (mostly Honda scooters, buy shares now) weave in and out, overtake, intersect, in a world with no apparent traffic code and only the occasional set of lights to slow the mighty stream.

All this is conducted with an impassive calm, perhaps born of the prevailing Buddhism. Road rage is not Vietnamese. The southeast Asian cultural norm of never displaying anger could be the reason."

That's of course until someone really loses it and an almighty mill breaks out. That idea of the Asian "norm of never losing your cool" is utter shite. Fairly true for a long time that the majority of people remained admirably calm in chaotic traffic, but sadly methinks that's on the wane... people do lose the rag here, and when they do, stand back, or run.

In Dublin there's a healthy amount of verbal abuse for sure. People muttering in their cars to themselves about how everyone else on the road is a total langer. Of course, living here, when I'm back in Dublin the streets, in my eyes, are like a scene out of 28 Days Later or I Am Legend ... empty, quiet, deserted. The traffic is orderly, everyone stops at red lights, indicates, pulls up outside yellow boxes, and so forth, ... now that's what I call impassive calm, born from the "prevailing Catholicism..." no doubt...




* Snakes on a plane, dude: One tonne of snakes on a Vietnam Airlines flight seized... – one tonne? PUN ALERT: However did they slip through check in...
* Buoc day di: Helmets on, straps open... not encouraging numbers on head injuries post-wear-a-helmet-or-else law. I sense a return for Summertime Ryan, the Kickstand monitor of yesteryear with a comeback campaign to help people strap up...

Bits and pieces

1) More food blogging: Besides gas•tron•o•my which I pointed out a few posts back, there's also The Last Appetite – a pretty slick looking food blog – also based in Vietnam.

2) You might of read about the plastic Russian policeman who helped reduce speeding by his sheer presence -- and presence alone -- last year, while now in Australia a new campaign aims to tease men into slowing down. The "little pinkie" campaign suggests men who speed are compensating for something.
Sixty-one per cent of young males surveyed for the research believed the campaign had the power to make them think about their own driving behaviour, he said.

"This campaign is about saving lives - not pride. If it dents a few egos but helps save a life, then it's worth it," Mr Roozendaal said.

It'll be a while till such an ad might hit this neighbourhood I suppose. I reckon the Russian approach might be duoc-able though. Either that or a huge generic-mother-like figure looming over the traffic lights.

(Cheers to Caitlin for the link...)

3) A local celebrity-gossip blogger will be sued by a singer for defamation... apparently the word 'nymphet' was used... but looking at the singer I'm guessing that's a mistranslation.

4) If you're trying to save petrol money perhaps an Alaskan Malamute is the answer...

5) Flooding has already been a total disaster for some impoverished people in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province in Central Vietnam. After local authorities organised a relocation plan to move houses away from flooded lands, 47 families from Hai Lang were relocated to a hilly area in Hai Lam commune and offered an allowance of VND4.7 million ($300) to build a new house. The families already feeling a bit shortchanged then discovered that the area is a former battle field full of unexploded ordnance. Nearby a sign posted by Renew, an organisation specialising in disarming mines and explosives, warns of the possible dangers of setting foot on the land. Perhaps a mistake made in haste? Unlikely, the plans for the relocation were made 10 years ago.
(Source Timeout)

6) Another bloody 0-0 result for the Minsk Football Club over the weekend -- no review yet but there are a couple of photos – and the strikers are not happy, ahem.

Next week we will be playing at the National Stadium however. That's right – the fortress of My Dinh itself. More on that later...