500,000258,051258,051 have signed already! Help us get to 500,000
In 48 hours, nearly half the British mass media could be bought by one of the world's worst media moguls.Rupert Murdoch has exploited his vast media empire to push war in Iraq, elect George W Bush, spread resentment of muslims and immigrants, and block global action on climate change. He undermines democratic government across the world by threatening elected leaders with vicious and often false media coverage unless they do his bidding.
Britain plays a key role in Europe and the world. If Murdoch has a lock on British media, he will use it to undermine UK, EU and UN support for human rights and democracy. The UK is up in arms over the Murdoch bid, and even the government, elected with Murdoch's help, is split down the middle as it makes a decision this week. Global solidarity bolstered Egypt's pro-democracy protesters -- it can help Britain's. Let's build an urgent global outcry to stop Rupert Murdoch. Sign the petition to Prime Minister Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Clegg!
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Avaaz - UK: STOP RUPERT MURDOCH - add your voice now!
Confused about what is spiritual, mystical or religious?
God, Religion, Mysticism and Professor John Hick; in praise of de-mystifying the mystical
A guy called John Hick provides us with three wonderful definitions of mystical experience. First there is his own which simply says;
” Mystical experience…..does not seem to me to be anything other than first-hand religious experience as such. This is, however, the core of religion…..…the explanatory function of religion is secondary and derivative.”
Hick however relies on Ninian Smart to make clear how mystical experience relates to the other aspects of religion;
Religion consists primarily in experiencing our life in its relation to the Transcendent and living on the basis of that experience….
…..in terms of Ninian Smart’s six-dimensional analysis – distinguishing the
ritual,
mythological,
doctrinal,
ethical,
social and
experiential dimensions of religion
– mysticism is a general name for religious experience together with part at least of the network of religious practices which support it.
Hick, John, (1981) Mystical Experience as Cognition in Understanding Mysticism, ed. Richard Woods, London: The Athlone PressHick provides us with two other definitions of mysticism;
…. Brother David (Steindl-Rast) defined mysticism as “experience of communion with the source of meaning“; and he stressed that all who worship, and indeed all who are conscious of the divine, are mystics. ….and Swami Prabuddhananda defined mysticism as ‘the realization of relationship between the individual soul and the infinite reality‘” P423
Source of meaning’ and ‘infinite reality’ are I suppose deliberately abstract and universal. I sense a correlation between anthropomorphic views of God and fundamentalist views – does anyone know of any relevant research?
Our unity, that is harmonization beyond diversity, must inevitably centre on
a) recognition of our oneness in our common humanity and
b) that which is universal.
These definitions take us to the heart of religion, to the realization that the ultimate is mystery and to the most universal and abstract.
If we need to personalize our belief it needs to be in terms of celebrating the diversity of our fellow human beings and in our loves for those that we can serve and take inspiration from.
When we personalize or anthropomorphise God we inevitably see God in our own image and since we all imagine differently we are tempted more and more into a ‘make-wrong’ frame of mind through which we reject others.
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All postings to this site relate to the central model in the PhD.
Summaries are HERE
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Protest the Tories Murdoch deal - 30,000 phone calls or emails to parliament already - add your voice - email or phone your MP right now!
It's your democracy - and it's being dismantled day by day!Wow - 30,000 UK messages and phone calls to Parliament today and momentum building with hours left to go. Send a message and forward this on! Here's the email --Dear friends across the UK,
In 24 hours, nearly half our commercial media could be owned by Rupert MurdochFor four decades hehas interfered with our democracy -- determining election results, bolstering politicians in exchange for influence, and smearing others who refuse his orders. But he may have finally gone too far -- with just 24 hours left before the decision, the coalition is still deeply divided on Murdoch's bid for BSkyB.The government is deciding right now whether Murdoch can gain control of one of Britain's largest news corporations.Let's tip the balance against Murdoch's attempt to tighten his grip on our media. Click to send an urgent message directly to key decision makers on the BSkyB bid and send this on to everyone -- let's flood our politicians with tens of thousands of messages telling them we want Murdoch’s hands off our democracy:Murdoch has used his vast media empire to push war in Iraq, elect George W Bush, and block global action on climate change, andif he wins this week in Britain he will use his networks here to undermine all the issues that we care about. He has manipulated US, British and Australian democracy for years, but now he wants more complete control. In the US, most of the likely Republican presidential candidates are actually paid employees of Murdoch! When his Fox News Network was shunned by Barack Obama as a mere propaganda mouthpiece, it spawned the far right "tea party"and broadcast constant, often hate-filled attacks against Obama and his healthcare and peace agenda -- resulting in a huge win for Republicans in the 2010 congressional elections.Murdoch media staff have trampled laws and standards when gathering news. SeveralNews Corporation executives approved phone hacking and, when a formal investigation began, they had regular secret meetings with senior police officers who then failed to investigate the full extent of the scandal. Our government should punish such an organisation, not allow it monopoly powers over our media. But if Rupert Murdoch is allowed to buy all of BSkyB this week, he will soon own half of our commercial newspapers and television. This should not be allowed in any democracy.We can turn the tide on this powerful threat to our democracy.In the end the News of the World phone hacking scandal forced David Cameron’s communications director to resign. And a mass outcry from Canadian Avaaz members recently prevented a Murdoch-style TV network from getting taxpayer funding and stopped the Canadian government from removing the journalistic standards that would prevent this new network from spreading lies to the public. The fight against Murdoch has just begun, but already we've begun to win. Let's do the same in Britain! Click below to send an urgent message and send this on to everyone:
In 48 hours, nearly half our mass media could be owned by Rupert Murdoch - phone or email your MP now
SEE -
The King's Speech - a whole bunch of stuff you didn't know
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Fred Halliday & commentators on Gadafy's Libya - 'a state of kleptocracy'
A state of misrule
There are many ways to enter the strange story of al-Jamahiriya ("the state of the masses"), whose originating event was marked on 1 September 2009 by a spectacular celebration in Tripoli filled with extravagant stage-management and kitsch special-effects. The event was seen in much of the world outside Libya against the background of the concurrent media and diplomatic controversy over the release from a Scottish jail on 20 August 2009 of the only person convicted of any part in the Pan-Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie in December 1998, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi (who, incidentally, belongs to an influential branch of the Magariha tribe, which links him to Major Jelloud). As a result, the experience of these four decades in Libya's history - and their impact on the Arab world and beyond - has been somewhat overshadowed. A pity, for these offer some sobering lessons in the politics of illusion.
Click on link to read full article and some excellent comments
Monday, 28 February 2011
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Sufi Shaikh Kabir - the true reality of Islam? (He ought to be advising President Obama)
To learn more about this amazing man I went here - http://www.unesco.org.uk/uploads/Biographies_GMR2011_UK%20Input.pdf
The site gives this as his biography;
Kabir Shaikh was, between 2002 and July 2009, the Director of Education for
UNRWA/ UNESCO (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees), providing education to half a million Palestinian refugee children
based in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank, and had a staff of
over 22,000.
For over 38 years he worked in the UK on Education, holding various posts
including: Director of Education for Bournemouth, LEA; Chief Inspector for
Education in London; and Chair of the Association for Science Education’s
National Working Party on Science for a Multicultural Society. Kabir has served
on several national committees in various capacities such as Chair of the
Partnership Board for Leicester City Education; Member of the Advisory Forum to
the Royal Naval School of Educational Training and Technology; Chair of the
Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services; Vice President
of the Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathematics
Education. His work has involved the Commonwealth Secretariat, UNESCO,
Development Education and the British Council. He is a Fellow of the Royal
Society of Chemistry.
In 2003 Kabir was awarded a CBE for services to Education in England
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His site is here -
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Saturday, 19 February 2011
So, you thought you knew the depth of American politicians' ignorance? - Arizona Bans Karma - Seriously!
Since the dark days of the attacks on America by radical, Islamic terrorists on September 11th 2001, there has been a growing intolerance here for non-Judeo-Christian religions. This has, unfortunately, been mostly aimed at the American-Muslim community in a misguided attempt to combat radical Islam.
Unfortunately, there are numerous people in America who can't seem to make a distinction between an Islamic terrorist and an Islamic moderate practicing their religion freely as allowed under the American Constitution. But I digress. One of the targets of the this fear of anything Islamic has come in the form of a wide-spread paranoia of Sharia law.
In brief, Sharia law is law based on the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an (koran). The Islamophobia is so rampant in America these days that states have taken to banning Sharia law in a preemptive move to prevent such law from taking root. This is occurring despite no movement to impose or establish Sharia law in America. The silliness of it all is that such moves by these states are a waste of time since the American Constitution supersedes any other form of law within America!!
But the politicians of Arizona didn't stop there. They wanted to make sure
SOURCE: James Ure's excellent Buddhist Blog
Friday, 18 February 2011
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
EVER WONDERED WHY APPLE ISN'T FLASH -her's Steve Job's article
Apple has a long relationship with Adobe. In fact, we met Adobe’s founders when they were in their proverbial garage. Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer. Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years. The two companies worked closely together to pioneer desktop publishing and there were many good times. Since that golden era, the companies have grown apart. Apple went through its near death experience, and Adobe was drawn to the corporate market with their Acrobat products. Today the two companies still work together to serve their joint creative customers – Mac users buy around half of Adobe’s Creative Suite products – but beyond that there are few joint interests.
I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe’s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads.
Click on link to read Steve Job's article
Vote YES for fairer voting - Debate Day 1
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill — Report (1st Day)
Friday, 4 February 2011
A Top 500 list of poems and poets
Top 500 Poems
- Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
- Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
- If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- Dreams by Langston Hughes
- i carry your heart with me by ee cummings
- I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You by Pablo Neruda
- Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
- The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
- I Crave Your Mouth, Your Voice, Your Hair by Pablo Neruda
- Television by Roald Dahl
- One Inch Tall by Shel Silverstein
- Warning by Jenny Joseph
- As I Grew Older by Langston Hughes
- A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
- Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
- If by Rudyard Kipling
- On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan
- Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
- "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth
- Alone by Edgar Allan Poe
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
- The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes
- Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
- All That is Gold Does Not Glitter by JRR Tolkien
The complete list of Top 500 Poems >>
Matthew Lipman one of the great educators has died - when will mainstream education grow up enough to see his genius?
Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC)
Matthew Lipman, creator of the philosophy for children movement, during a classroom discussion in an undated phot
How great was he? He was in the highest echelon of educators. His achievement was to bring developing civilization itself into the child's heart and mind and into the heart of the teaching process and into the heart of the classroom community.
There is no problem that you can point to, no suffering being endured, no apparently intractable problem that would not be ameliorated or solved by the great process and programme he engendered, inspired as it was from the person and teachings of Socrates himself.
Any child taught well with his system and any teacher fortunate enough to teach using his methods will carry light and the very breath of civilization with them throughout their lives.
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To read the New York times article click on link.
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Is humour the way to dis-arm fundamentalism?
Shazia Mirza is a good girl. She doesn't drink alcohol, she doesn't smoke, she doesn't go out with men. She attends the mosque regularly. And not since Quentin Crisp has anyone had the nerve to stand in front of a roomful of drunks and declare their virginity.
"I don't do jokes about sex because I have never had it," she says, in her deadpan nasal Brummie accent. Only if George Clooney converted in the morning and threw himself at her feet would she even consider changing that. It's marriage or nothing. "I'm serious!" she says.
I don't doubt it. Mirza is the unlikely trailblazer for what, until she started appearing in small clubs three years ago in a hijab, was an oxymoron - devout Muslim comedy.
Was Islamophobia an invention of the extremists?
The invention of Islamophobia
Islamophobia was invented to silence those Muslims who question the Koran and who demand equality of the sexes. By Pascal Bruckner
At the end of the 1970s, Iranian fundamentalists invented the term "Islamophobia" formed in analogy to "xenophobia". The aim of this word was to declare Islam inviolate. Whoever crosses this border is deemed a racist. This term, which is worthy of totalitarian propaganda, is deliberately unspecific about whether it refers to a religion, a belief system or its faithful adherents around the world.
But confession has no more in common with race than it has with secular ideology. Muslims, like Christians, come from the Arab world, Africa, Asia and Europe, just as Marxists, liberals and anarchists come or came from all over. In a democracy, no one is obliged to like religion, and until proved otherwise, they have the right to regard it as retrograde and deceptive. Whether you find it legitimate or absurd that some people regard Islam with suspicion – as they once did Catholicism – and reject its aggressive proselytism and claim to total truth – this has nothing to do with racism.
Do we talk about 'liberalophobia' or 'socialistophobia' if someone speaks out against the distribution of wealth or market domination.
Click on link to read this challenging article at Sight and Sound.com - by Pascal Bruckner
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Eckhart Tolle Teachings | Eckhart Tolle | Teachings, Quotes, Interviews of Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart's Core Teachings
1. You are not your thoughts. You are the awareness behind the thoughts. Thoughts are often negative and painful, yearning for or fearing something in the future, complaining about something in the present or fearing a matter from the past. However, the thoughts are not you; they are a construct of the ego. Awareness of your thoughts without being caught up in them is the first step to freedom.
2. Only the present moment exists. That is where life is (indeed it is the only place life can truly be found). Becoming aware of the "now" has the added benefit that it will draw your attention away from your (negative) thoughts. Use mindfulness techniques to fully appreciate your surroundings and everything you are experiencing. Look and listen intently. Give full attention to the smallest details.
3. Accept the present moment. It is resistance to the present moment that creates most of the difficulties in your life. However, acceptance does not mean that you cannot take action to rectify the situation you are in. What is important is to drop resistance so that you let the moment be, and that any action arises from deeper awareness rather than from resistance. The vast majority of pain in a person's life comes from resistance to what is.
4. Observe the pain-body. Years of conditioned thought patterns, individually and collectively, have resulted in habitual emotional reactions with an apparent personality of their own. During "pain-body attacks", we become completely identified with this "pain identity" and respond from its agenda -- which is to create more pain for ourselves and others. Observing the pain-body is awareness itself arising, as it allows humans to separate from this unconscious identification with pain.
Click on link for more
Friday, 31 December 2010
'AUSTERITY Brits plan to slash nearly £9bn from personal spending' - someone's got to pay the bankers & it's you!
25 October 2010
Freeview research reveals Brits planning to slash nearly £9bn from personal spending in next six months
Nearly three quarters of Brits (71%) are preparing a lifestyle change as age of austerity approaches
- Brits plan cutbacks of nearly £200 each on average over next six months
- 81% of people value best free things in life over money and possessions, with love (21%), laughter (15%) and friendship (15%) the most important amongst them
- More than 6 out of 10 respondents (61%) are planning to cut back on Christmas costs with 40 per cent set to slash spending on presents
- Out of all the regions in Britain, Londoners get most pleasure from earning money (20%) while Scots get least satisfaction from spending it (1%)
Freeview, the UK’s biggest digital TV provider, in conjunction with YouGov, today reveals that £8.68 billion (See note1) worth of personal cutbacks are being planned in the next six months alone, as the nation braces itself for tough financial times ahead.
The findings, part of Freeview’s study of over 2,000 people into the projected impact on the British public of the Government’s recent spending cut announcements, reveal that the average Brit will be looking to cut expenditure each by £183(See note 2) over the next six months. The comparative figure for Wales is £255(2), whilst for Scotland it is a whopping £319(2).
The research also shows that almost 3 out of 4 people (71 per cent) are preparing to make money saving lifestyle changes.
The most popular ways to save money selected are:
- Cook instead of eating out or getting a takeaway (47%)
- Make lunch instead of buying it (46%)
- Cut down on socialising by staying at home (32%)
- Watch free TV channels instead of paying for subscription TV (22%)
- Walk / cycle / instead of using public transport / driving (22%)
According to the research, Christmas will not escape the population’s own budget cuts. Nearly two thirds of the nation (61 per cent) plan to spend less on Christmas this year with nearly 40 per cent planning to spend less on Christmas presents this year compared to 2009. Men should brace themselves for disappointment since 47 per cent of women say they plan to spend less on presents, compared to only 32 per cent of men.
The good news is that eight out of ten Brits (84 per cent) believe that time spent with family is the most important ingredient for a perfect Christmas, with one in six people (17 per cent) saying Christmas telly will play a key part.
The research also demonstrates the importance of the things in life that are free. The research explored what people valued the most from a list of ten items – five of which were free (love, friends, compliments, free time, peace and quiet), the remainder have material value (holidays, clothes, money, eating out and mobile phone). From the list, over eight out of ten (81 per cent) of respondents chose the free items as being the most important.
As Brits prepare to tough it out through challenging times, nearly half the nation (45 per cent) believes that the best things in life are free, while more than half the nation say that money can’t buy you happiness (53 per cent). Love, laughter and friendship are the nation’s favourite free things in life, as Brits overwhelmingly look to simple pleasures and each other instead of materialistic distractions.
The nation’s favourite free things in life are listed below:
- Love (21%)
- Laughter (15%)
- Friendship (15%)
- Sex (9%)
- Peace and quiet (8%)
- Sunshine (7%)
- Fresh air (4%)
- Free time (4%)
- Hugs (4%)
- Sleep (4%)
While the nation is in agreement as a whole on life’s priorities, the sexes still display huge differences, with one in six men (16 per cent) claiming sex is the most important free thing in life to them, compared to only one in 50 women (2 per cent). Seven times as many women (7 per cent) compared to men (1 per cent) rank hugs as their favourite free thing, with a third more men (10 per cent) valuing simple peace and quiet than woman (7 per cent). Nearly twice as many women (19 per cent) enjoy laughter more than men (11 per cent) with twice as many men (6 per cent) to women (3 per cent) finding most contentment in sleep.
Across Britain Londoners (20 per cent) get more joy out of earning money than people in any other part of the country, while Scots get the least amount of satisfaction from spending it (1 per cent). And retired people (12 per cent) get more joy out of giving money than people in full time employment (3 per cent).
Ilse Howling, MD of Freeview, commented: “It’s encouraging to see that as personal finances come under pressure the nation believes that money isn’t everything and that the best things in life come without a price tag attached. With love, laughter and friendship key to people’s happiness, Freeview believes that everyone has the right to good times and good TV for free, without adding to your monthly bills.”
Notes:
- All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2106 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 15th - 18th October 2010. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+)
- Freeview calculations based on 47.4 million adults (18+) and percentage of people planning to save over a six month period. Monetary value taken as mid-point in specified range
a. 13 % x £12.50 per month = £77.02 million
b. 10% x £38 per month = £180.12 million
c. 5% x £63 per month = £149.31 million
d. 5 % x £88 per month = £291.98 million
e. 4% x £125 per month = £237.95 million
f. 2% x £175.50 per month = £166.37 million
g. 2% x £225.50 per month = £213.77 million
h. 1 % x £275.50 per month = £130.59 million
i. Total = 1.44 billion
j. X 6 months = 8.68 billion- Average cutback per adult in Britain = 8.68bn / 47.4m = £183
Calculations of total amount to be saved for Scotland based on 4.1 million adults 18+ and percentage of those planning to save varying amounts over a six month period, following the above format.
Calculations of total amount to be saved for Wales based on 2.4 million adults 18+ and percentage of those planning to save varying amounts over a six month period, following the above format.
Click on link for full report
Monday, 27 December 2010
'Blessed are the cheese-makers' as N Ireland's Dr P so aptly said.
Are the glory of our cheeses - my Stilton Blue from Sainsbury's this years was magnificent.
To see the 100s of cheeses we produce see here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_cheeses
Sunday, 26 December 2010
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Monday, 6 December 2010
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Thursday, 2 December 2010
| False Economy - arguing why the current cuts are wrong
About us
False Economy is for everyone concerned about the impact of the government’s spending cuts on their community, their family or their job.
It is brought to you by local campaigners, those who rely on or support good public services and those who work to supply them.
False Economy’s supporters want to build the broadest possible movement that can get the government to change direction.
Of course the country has been damaged by the recession, but there are alternatives to these deep, rapid cuts.
The government’s cuts are unfair, risk the fragile economic recovery and fail to make those who caused the crash pay a proper contribution through the tax system to clearing up the mess they made.
False Economy is not a top-down national organisation.
We recognise that there will be many campaigns against cuts, with some based locally, others that link up people in particular sectors, and others that bring together national organisations. Not all will agree on every aspect or share the same priorities.
But while we welcome and respect this diversity, we believe that we will be more effective when we work together, share information and pool resources.
False Economy will grow and develop as the campaign develops, but we launch with these initial objectives:
- To gather and map information and personal testimony about the cuts and their effects
- To show that there are alternative economic approaches
- To provide resources and tools for campaigners and campaign groups
False Economy is for everyone who thinks the coalition is cutting too much, too fast and wants to do something about it.
How we are run
False Economy came about through discussions between on-line activists, campaigners and trade unions. Out of this a small working group was formed to guide the creation of False Economy. The site was built by Clifford Singer, who developed MyDavidCameron and runs The Other TaxPayers’ Alliance. We are grateful to pre-launch financial support from the TUC, Unison, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Fire Brigades Union. We are now seeking further funding, and will soon be able to accept donations online.
False Economy working group
- Guy Aitchison, openDemocracy
- Kate Belgrave, Hangbitch
- Alison Charlton, Unison
- Nishma Doshi
- Deborah Grayson, Mutiny
- Sunny Hundal, Liberal Conspiracy
- Chaminda Jayanetti, A Thousand Cuts
- Becky Luff, The Cuts Won’t Work
- Adam Ramsay, No Shock Doctrine for Britain
- Clifford Singer, The Other TaxPayers’ Alliance
- Nigel Stanley, TUC
- Stuart White, Oxford Save our Services
Supporters
Here are some of our initial supporters. We welcome further supporting organisations – both nationally and locally – other than political party groups. Please get in touch if you are interested.
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
- Compass
- Fire Brigades Union
- Left Foot Forward
- Liberal Conspiracy
- The Other TaxPayers' Alliance
- PCS
- Red Pepper
- TUC
- Unison
Thank you
Hilary Aked, Captain Ska, Deborah Allwright, Julia Bard, Chris Coltrane, Jim Cranshaw, Lucian Evans, Josie Long, Alex Stobart, Sam West and John Wood.
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Beautifully put - with such guys there is hope
One comment - I see human reality as 'Justice is the conditioner of Truth, Beauty & Goodness - which are the three great illuminations and ways of engagement of the human spirit.'
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Wonderful range of Chines soup recipes
My soup recipe index - an A to Z list of chinese soup recipes
The best eating we ever did was in China!
The Magic of Homemade Chinese Soups. The place for oriental recipes and homemade soups
Bring the love and magic of homemade Chinese soups into your home via your kitchen with FREE information from this website.
- Cook your first pot of delicious and nutritious homemade chinese soup
Enhance the health-giving benefits of your meals by serving some common chinese herbal soups Nurse your homesickness or craving by replicating that well-loved chinese soup from home Increase your repertoire of chinese soups beyond a Spartan egg drop soup Walk into a chinese grocery store and shop with more confidence and less bewilderment Many chinese restaurants serve wonderful luxurious chinese soups such as shark fin soup and Buddha jumps over the wall using expensive ingredients and elaborate cooking techniques.
When they are served, they are both a feast for the eyes and for the stomach. A gastronomical experience indeed!
But magical moments with chinese soups happen in the humble home kitchen.
Home-cooked, with simple ingredients, using simple cooking methods, using simple cooking utensils, served piping hot ... with love.
MAGICAL!
Why homemade chinese soups?
Hi, my name is Phoebe and I live on a small tropical island republic in Southeast Asia called Singapore.
There are many chinese living here, mostly descendants of immigrants from China.
I grew up with homemade chinese soups at our dinner table.
They were common sight and for many years chinese soups were just part of the meal, nothing special. I took what I know and enjoy about chinese soups for granted.
They have been a good friend: comforting me when I am sick or cold and pampering me when I have a tummy ache.
I have even lost weight drinking chinese soups.
I am not an expert cook and I do not spend long hours in the kitchen nor do I want to. The chinese soups I make have to be easy and hassle-free.
My late grandma will shake her head by my minimalist cooking approach.
What to do? I have been corrupted by modernity.
I know that many people are interested in chinese food but are unfamiliar with chinese vegetables, chinese food items, condiments, chinese cooking tools and preparation methods such as the simmering method, the double-boiling method, and how to thicken soup.
It would be a shame to let these stop people from enjoying chinese soups.
This is why I created this website. All that I know about homemade chinese soups I have attempted to record down here.
I hope you will make use of the information here to prepare some nice chinese soups for your family, friends and most importantly, for yourself.
What you will find on this website
chinese soups and their health benefits different cooking techniques and types of chinese soup pots a list of chinese soup recipes including the famous wonton soup, chinese congee, hot and sour soups and egg drop soups articles on some common chinese soup ingredients like lotus root, chicken, chinese herbs, tofu and etc articles on soups with specific functions such as for colds and slimming places where you can share your soup or food stories, pictures, "secret" recipes and changes to my recipes with like-minded people here. and many more ...
Navigating this website
For the wanderer
The left side navigation bar is arranged alphabetically. (if they are not, it means I am working on them...)
You will find links to soups made with certain key ingredients such as beef soups, chicken soups, egg drop soups, fish soups, herbal soups, pork soups, lotus root soups and vegetarian soups.
There are also links to soups for various functions such as soups for cold and soups for weight loss.
I have also included pages on 2 all-time favourites: fabulous wontons, and comforting rice congee.
For the purposeful
If you are interested in recipes for homemade soups, you can browse my growing list of chinese soup recipes.
I will also try to include links to good recipes I found online, especially those with wonderful colour pictures and clear instructions. Best of all, they are tried and tested recipes.
Finally,
THANK YOU for visiting!
The best eating ever was on our trip to China!
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