A Barack Obama Lookalike...

Indonesia the land where copyright equates to the right to copy. There is nothing that is too sacred and nothing that cannot be copied. Everything is fair game including Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America.

Ilham Anas bears an uncanny resemblance to President Obama. I am not convinced it is the separated at birth kind of resemblance. Yet, after a few beers and a couple of shots, he could conceivably pass as the president's double.

I cannot remember whether I had written a post about this. I am pretty sure that I have commented elsewhere around the place about Anas and the potential that he has to make a career out of his good fortune to resemble the most powerful man on earth.

Not that it matters, Gawker has recently written about the "wet dream" nature that the resemblance will have for the Tea Party.

Let's face it, a smoking Muslim Obama lookalike, does it get any better than that for those anti-Obama types.

Here is Anas in action.



It would seem that Anas has no interest in doing anything that harms Obama or the US. So, it would also seem that Anas and the Tea Party crowd have very little in common.

Russian Caravan Tea

My current tea of choice is Russian Caravan Tea.

I think it is my current choice because of the smoky flavours of the Lapsang Souchong. However, Russian Caravan Tea is not really Russian but a blend of Oolong, Keemun, and Lapsang Souchong that was transported by camel caravans from China through Russia and to Europe. Apparently, the tea was a favourite of the Russian aristocracy, but that is not why I drink it.

I was never able to find it in Jakarta or more widely in Indonesia. However, no such dramas now that I am back in Australia.

As a matter of fact I am drinking a pot of it now.

A Question of Tea...

If any of you are wondering why I am still up and posting at 02.40 on a Sunday morning, then the answer is probably not anything like you may imagine. I am an old man and fell asleep during the afternoon hours and woke up about 22.00. I will get tired again and then log off and get more beauty sleep.

Onto the post. I drink green tea because it is good for you. The advertising tells me so. It is apparently full of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are the scavengers of free radicals. All this scientific analysis seems to me to equate to a really simple deal, drink more green tea and live longer.

Having knocked off three Belgian beers, which has confirmed that I am getting old as I think I have that happy little beer buzz thing going. Yes, it is sad, three beers and I feel the need to drink green tea flavoured with Moroccan mint. I have gotta say at this juncture that the tea tastes pretty good as well. I think I still prefer the beer but I could definitely get used to the tea.

Nevertheless, I have a question about the benefits of green tea. I tend to drink my tea without sugar, although sometimes a good dose of honey makes it into the mug. I am wondering though are the benefits of green tea countered by the amount of sugar one adds to the mug. I ask this because I ordered a green tea in a restaurant (yes there were a variety of teas on offer for the connoisseur of tea) and it came to the table in the Javan style. This is not a criticism of Javanese it is merely noting a tendency to eat and drink sweet things. It is kind of like Padang being the capital of spicy foods.

Simply, are any benefits that might be derived from green tea lost to excessive amounts of sugar which will probably lead to insulin intolerance and the onset of type 2 adult diabetes (what a cheery thought)? Maybe the answer is somewhere out there in cyber space, perhaps I should go and find out for myself.

Tea In Siberia

Just to keep you factually amused heading into the weekend...

Up until the 19th Century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.

Simpler currency for simpler times.