Oh my...

Like a lump of finely tuned spaghetti bolognaise heaved over the dinner table of a dysfunctional family unit, the economic crisis lurches in a chaotic arc over the world, and how it will impact on it, as well as who will be left to clean up the mess, is anyone's guess at the moment.

What have I learned so far?

The whole thing was set up to collapse. By defaulting on debt, the speculators could make money. It's like opening your house up for theft so you can collect on the insurance, but you also control the payout from the insurance company.... This explains it much better than I can.

There are no investment banks left on Wall Street.

The history of Wall Street and Washington is long, and very cozy.

The people that are responsible for this mess are (mostly - scroll down to read about what the boss of AIG is doing) trying to extract as much of their contracted salaries and bonuses while they still can. These are going to cost billions of dollars. For example, the former chief of Lehman Brothers, Richard Fuld, earned US$17,000 an HOUR to run the firm into the ground. I could do that for half the price - and I look good in a suit. (Any takers?)

The US government is weighing up the bailing out of foreign banks that own US debt. That is, sending US taxpayers' money offshore to pay for the gambling debts of some very rich people.

In their desperation for cash, the US financial system is turning into a fire sale, with banks from other countries such as Japan swooping in to pick up (gamble with?) companies being hawked at rock bottom prices.

It turns out, that without the first huge injection of capital, the markets were as close as 500 trades away from total collapse on Monday.

The US$700 billion requested by Bush could just be delaying the inevitable collapse of the system - at taxpayer expense.

The thing is, what these traders were doing wasn't actually illegal. (It isn't stopping the FBI investigating what happened though) It was does within the regulations of the industry - just pushed to its limits. Now, ask if what they were doing was unethical - you'd get a different answer...

The world is waiting, not necessarily because of the debt problem. Countries like Australia are reasonably well insulated from the defaults, and others such as India have nothing to do with them at all. The problem will come if there's a general economic slowdown as American consumers and businesses tighten their belts, unemployment takes hold and markets dry up. The article makes another good point that the tax system favours those who speculate (they don't just get free money from the government to cover their debts) over those who produce things. In the end, that's what really counts, right? The last time I looked, the 'P' in 'GNP' meant 'Product'... Why not tax those who speculate more? Oh, sorry, I forgot...

This article sums up a lot of things, from Obama's sensible ideas (bail out those who can't pay their mortgages, not those who rorted the system), to some juicy quotes from those in the know, the reactions of government representatives and some nice hysterical arm-waving from those who are responsible.

The more I read about Dr. Martin Luther King, the more I like him. He really could cut to the heart of an issue. This article has a great quote from him at its heart. It also gets me thinking as to why would anyone want to live in a country where the rich earn so much and the poor so little...

I love David Letterman...


Now for the rest of it.

By the way, Burma's still under military rule. At least some of those who have escaped aren't going to let us forget.

If you like to gaze upon a ruined wilderness and possibly contract a horrible disease, then Alberta's for you! (What a shame...)

The more I read about McCain and Palin, the less I like the idea of them winning. Obama isn't much better, but at least his ideas are better, (here too) but not by much. I'm a very long way from becoming an Obama-ite. And it looks like Americans agree with me to some extent at the moment.

While the US economic troubles are unsettling things in Japan, one of the other big problems at the moment is food security. Japan imports a large amount of its food from other countries, mostly China, and with ongoing problems with the food supply there, people in Japan are understandably worried. The thing that gets me is that every day I drive past rice fields that are left fallow. The farmers are paid NOT to grow rice, and they can't grow anything else as a condition of that payment, so why not relax the regulations and let them grow veggies instead? I guess someone high up is making money off the importation of foreign food, eh?

If you wanted an idea of how things are run in Japan, you could do worse than look at what's happening with the switch over to digital broadcasting. Two words: former bureaucrats.

This article looks at the issue of parents who are over-educating their children in Japan. As one who educates children, I am capitalizing on this drive, but there are limits to human endurance. Getting your children to memorize kanji at the age of TWO is a bit much. Nova's program for two year olds was a bit of a joke at best; it was a miracle if any of the kids said anything in English. My current employer starts enrolling children at the age of three, but in our defence, the program is about having fun in English. Our kids don't have to memorize anything and one of my three years olds spends most of his time running around the room laughing and screaming. At least he's having fun and is getting over any potential irrational fears of very large foreign man-monsters, so that will be an important life skill, I'm sure....

Housing crisis solved: shipping container homes!

I think being able to book your holidays over the internet is a great idea, but just be sure you check and double-check before clicking to buy! Just ask this woman who wanted to go to Sydney, Australia, and ended up in Sydney, Canada.

Matt, this one's for you.

The man who started the Free Hugs movement (I've seen them in Sannomiya) is giving away one of his kidneys. Bonus Simpsons quote.

Scientists have discovered an ancient coral reef in the outback of South Australia (Sheree, you could drive there in three days, I reckon!) which they hope will provide clues as to how climate change impacts the environment.

Hammer Films is back in business! For fans of B-grade schlock horror, such as myself, this brings instant salivation - and not just because of the Playboy twins... (work safe)

Those Sex Pistols royalties much be getting low. John Lydon's advertising butter?!?

After my champagne in London, I'll head over to Paris for dinner.

Today's waste of time (life?) is brought to you by a guy who's built an aircraft carrier out of Lego.

Want a real life Pikachu? Yours for only $925 million!? Aaaah, Japan...

Enough already!

Lurching

It's amazing reading about the continuing financial crisis. While based in the US, it's likely to continue to have global effects.

I never studied economics - ever. My mathematics skills extend to some rudimentary mental calculation abilities. I figure if I can add, subtract, multiply, divide and do percentages then that's most of what I'll need for life. Why I wasted so many hours in maths lessons, I'll never really know. If I could go back to the start of high school that is one of the first things I'd change, along with learning the guitar, working out instead of eating myself into oblivion, and trying not to be such a dork all the time.

I'm especially grateful to the writers that are spending their time cutting through the BS and to write articles that can explain in simple English what's going on, what mistakes are being made, and what should happen (and why it won't).

So, I'll simply submit these articles for your perusal. here, here, here, and here.

Another key indicator of the economic situation, the HEGI (or High End Girlfriend Index) is down severely at the moment.

Amongst the rapid nationalisation of some of America's largest financial and insurance corporations (if the bailing out of these companies with public money is NOT nationalisation, then what is it?) also goes the rapid privatisation of the military. The way the military permeates so much of American culture and life is nothing new, but the economic compass will surely switch back over to the fact that chasing after non-existant money will run its course and eventually the money brokers will have to get back into industries that actually produce real things and generate real money; the easiest being the military. Look for more wars and more arms sales soon - maybe not in that order.

One interesting impact of the continuing economic woes in Japan is that membership of the Communist Party has increased significantly. The article contains some very interesting stats on the situation, especially as it relates to part-time workers.

Remember the food crisis? It hasn't gone away yet - not by a long shot.

So the US presidential campaigns are now firmly fixed in the gutter, it's time to work out why they, especially the Republicans are so keen to do so. Every quip is met by an unequal and opposite overreaction. Could it be the Republicans are trying to distract the public from their plan to dismantle many of the systems in place to help the majority of the American people? Could it be they're trying to cover the idea that Palin really stands against many of the feminist ideals that feminism has fought for, while trumpeting her nomination as a triumph for feminism? Maybe she just doesn't want to be asked questions about her double standards over marijuana (not to mention the others). Maybe she wants to avoid questions over why she's using an easily hackable public e-mail account to conduct state business in violation of several regulations. Could it be that Obama is hoping nobody will notice how his policies don't really help those the Democrats are supposed to traditionally represent?

If you want an idea of what it's like to be a heartbeat away from absolute power, maybe we could take a look at North Korea, where (apparently) Kim Jong Il's nurse is signing off on official documents since he's been bedridden after a stroke.

If you want an idea of what a McCain presidency might look like, you could always look to Canada...

I guess if you always wondered why vegetarians were always so uppity about their lifestyle, you can wonder no longer. It turns out that eating vegetables shrinks the brain. It figures since meat (nourishing meat!) contains abundant supplies of the building blocks of our brains. Now we all know the dangers of an exclusive meat-eating diet (Dr. Atkins, represent!) but now the vegos have been discredited as well, we can finally get on with the fact that we are omnivores, make like the Japanese and eat anything that grows.

When scientists find something that puzzles them, then you know it must be interesting. Take this mysterious object found in deep space, or this planet found orbiting a star 500 light years away.

Ever wondered what it's like to be hit by a proton beam? Ask this former Soviet scientist.

In the wake of Hurrican Ike come these amazing photos of a lone house that was built to withstand a category five storm. If you ever wanted an example to show planning commissions and construction standards committees, here it is. I'm also looking at you, Japan.

Enough. Time to go to work.

This week in ... stuff!

Ah yes.

From finding out that Skype actually works PC to PC (thanks Sheree!) (username: fnersh, of course) to waiting four hours in a hospital waiting room (now I know) to riding the highs and lows of the internal monologue thanks to various documentaries, it's been quite a week.

Now I have a long weekend with no private students booked, so I'm actually... wait for it... CLEANING MY APARTMENT!! So far one garbag has been filled and I can actually see the top of one table. Another to go plus the floor of the computer room and I can say I have actually achieved something. Hence I am procrastinating!

A couple of relections on September 11.

Yes, I bought an iPod. Yes, it's rather nice. No, I didn't know it was based on technology developed in the 1970s.

Why I often buy books based on their titles alone...

I watched the Panorama special on Scientology which was very informative. I suggest you try to track it down. Scientology has recently engaged in another series of attacks on YouTube to take down videos seen as critical of them. No other 'churches' do this so it makes you wonder what they have to hide. (Aliens! Wooooo!)

Another religious organisation, this time the pentacostalist Hillsong church in Sydney, has been infiltrating state schools under what could be seen to be false pretenses. They stage events which are billed as free barbecues and concerts but evangelise the students who attend, which is in violation of the NSW Education Charter, which says that any religious instruction should take place within designated religious education classes. Either the very large and well organised Hillsong group is ignorant of the laws of the country, or they are being deliberately devious. Naturally, they have denied any wrongdoing. But still, it's not exactly the message they should be wanting to send either way...

More on what could happen if Sarah Palin becomes President of the USA - which is more likely than you think. One focusses on what the environment, especially in Alaska, stands to lose. The other looks at the very real chance of a theocracy taking hold in the US.

This one looks at how Sarah Palin has managed to overcome her previous perceived anti-Semitism (after all, she is a fundamentalist Christian), all in the name of her personal ambition. It's amazing how ones' morals can be happily sacrificed for personal gain... (sarcasm is firmly switched to 'on'.)

The teaching of Creationism to children just won't go away. Equal time for the Flying Spaghetti Monster! Ramen.

Another article in as many days about how students in the UK cannot spell. What's just as sad as these students likely going through life illiterate is the way the educational establishment is being encouraged to tolerate this state of affairs. One boffin actually said that forcing children to memorise irregular spelling of words was holding them back. Holding them back? From what? It certainly didn't 'hold me back'. Being able to spell correctly (in most cases) has enabled me to perform well in hand-written tests, to be able to communicate lucidly and clearly through any text based medium I've needed to be able to utilise. Why? Because I can spell and the people who've read what I've written have been able to read. I shouldn't have to sit and waste my time trying to decipher some precious little snowflake's scratchings just because it might hurt their feelings. I certainly would think that those who hire these students once they end up in the job marketplace would also be of the same opinion; can't spell: no job. My solution? No TV, no PC and only books (comics accepted, providing they spell words correctly) until children are at least 5 years old. And yes, if I ever do have kids, look to the posting of the epic plan of how I plan to hide that technology from my kids and the wonderful adventures I have in keeping them hidden!

The background and story of the Japanese man who was recently kidnapped and murdered in Afghanistan.

Japan has joined the 20th Century in another aspect of life related to women - this time by requesting them to fasten their seat belts while pregnant. Believe it or not but it's a commonly held belief that having a crash while pregnant and wearing a seatbelt causes miscarriages, so many pregnant women don't wear them. Never mind that they could be thrown from the car and onto the road or in front of another vehicle in an accident... Amazing.

Another story on how Japanese households are struggling. (I sure wish I was earning the average wage.) Bear in mind that Japan calculates wages per household and not per person. This figure would very likely include situations where the children are living at home and working. It happens much more in Japan than in Western countries. And they're still 'struggling'...

Another day, another rocket or mortar attack on a US base. Iraq? No, Japan. Wait, what?

Another day, another girl auctioning off her virginity to pay for her university course. The bonus is it's for a master's degree in family and marriage counselling.....

If you thought people would stay away from China during the Olympics, you were right.

Really cool travel guides for Eastern Europe. Share and enjoy!

Before I leave for there though, I'd like to stop off and have a glass of champagne at St. Pancras Station in London.

That Large Hadron Collider experiment that was going to kill us all? Well, for those of you who breathed a sigh of relief, get ready to freak out again. What happened on the 10th was that they turned it on and made sure it was working and calibrated correctly. The big stuff (ie. what you were all worried about) will happen later.

It does lead to a discussion of the end of everything and while predicting the end of the world is an imprecise science at best, it hasn't stopped all manner of people from doing just so, and even more people believing them.

A primer of articles from Mother Jones on the US imperial presence around the world, including an interactive map of where US soldiers and bases are stationed. 761 bases, in fact...

Is Google creating its own navy?

The actor who played Monkey is releasing a new album. Monkey Magic!!

Lastly, an exercise in what goes to make a good piece of descriptive writing, as well as clever use of internet technology. Language students, take note!

And!

More!

A quick note. My friend who is part of Edge Church updated me with some info about Michael Guggleimucci. It turns out he hasn't been a part of this church for 8 years or so so the money he used to fund his porn habit came from other sources, and is apparently being repaid. Still, it's a blight on the church to have been publicly associated with this guy...

I'm really enjoying reading this article by a school principal. In it he outlines what he sees are where our schools are failing in what they should be doing for our children - that is give them the skills they need for life. He really hits the nail on the head with some of his observations and suggestions.

Thailand is perhaps gearing up for a coup - a reluctant one if these comments by a Thai military senior official are anything to go by... I'm so glad I'm not there at the moment! Then again, if there is a coup, the small islands are unlikely to be greatly affected...

In Australia, where rain is often followed by someone saying, "What's that stuff falling from the sky?" progress is being made in developing new methods for cloud seeding.

Noticed that the internet is running slow? I have. And it turns out that it's all my fault... Ooops.

So the conventions are over and the dust is settling over the US election battle until the debates start up. The one between Palin and Biden should be a doozy. Some interesting food for thought that has come out of it for you to ponder.
One is the organized campaign of violence against the independent media. As highlighted in this article (Bonus: contains the phrase 'weaponized urine'), the police and security forces deliberately targetted journalists not working for the media corporations. Another article about the same subject is here.
Two is this article written by a woman who has known Sarah Palin since 1992. In it she disects her character, motivations and methods as she's witnessed them over the past 16 years. In short, Sarah Palin is not a nice woman and she's not fit to potentially be the next Republican presidential candidate if McCain fails in his bid this year.
Three, that McCain is probably going to be looking increasingly to his young charge to lead the way as his incoherence over the past few years is not going away. That also raises the spectre of a possible Palin 2012 campaign...

That cure for cancer could be a lot further away since recent research has shown that each cancer has a unique genetic make up...

A recent roundup of climate goings on.

Australia is becoming more expensive, especially for those on aged pensions.

A good list of security pointers for the international traveller. It includes a handy picture of how to stand in the new full body imaging machines. The same posture is handy for law enforcement officers when they detect your guns and explosives...

The best Muppet cake ever!

Tokyo Elvis.

A Bacon Trio to finish: bacon flavoured vodka, bourbon and jelly beans. Yum.

And more

And so continues the previous blog post... there was so much that caught my eye, the poor PC has been having trouble coping with it. Note to self, opening more than 30 tabs in Firefox can crash the PC! Lovely software, shame about the bloated RAM.

This article summarizes nicely one of the strong feelings I have about this world; that we are in the midst of a long, slow decline. So many people are saying that we need to make wdie-scale, drastic changes to the way we live in order to survive the future, but because those in power can't/won't make the changes, we're like the frog in the slowly warming pot, not noticing until the flames make the water boil that we're in big trouble.

This feeling also forms part of the tug-of-war that goes on daily inside me. I love kids. I love teaching the students I have and the promise they hold for the future. I also shudder whenever I think about the kind of world they're going to live in and the kinds of struggles they may have to endure, just to survive.

An interesting rant about Japan based on someone's experience. There's a lot I can relate to, but some things are not so true - take the toilet paper for example. The bog rolls available here are just as luxuriant and soft as you're likely to find anywhere in the world. Rice paper it aint!

I have found a new spiritual home - Stuck In The 80s!

It going to be hard to find anything to eat in Australia before too long, with the Murray-Darling Basin turning into a toxic wasteland and drought continuing throughout the land, we're going to be importing all of our food from Argentina before too long. Oh wait... errrmmm... nevermind.

Better see those fireflies now, before the lights go out forever...

And the sun has been spotless for a month.

Today's religious nuts are brought to you by Joel's Army. Second place is brought to you by Michael Gugliemucci, who faked having cancer for two years to hide an addiction to porn. Third place goes to his wife for forgiving him... I'm amazed that she would stand by someone who lied to her face about having cancer of all things for TWO years! (I guess they're making a lot of money.... dang cynicism rears its ugly head again.) I have friends (who I love) who go to his church and I can only say that I'm sorry that they must have given money to this clown who then spent it on internet porn.

More stupidity but this time resulting in humour; internet obscenity filters.

Looks like the French are finally coming around to the fact that English is the global language.

Queen Mary is behind a surprising number of our beloved nursery rhymes...

One more Olympic post-script; the sports that should be thrown out of the Olympics. I certainly believe that tennis and soccer should be excorcised immediately since they are not the ultimate prizes for anyone who plays them professionally.

Today's "Japan's Wacky Cops" story is brought to you by the boys in blue from Izu and a blow up doll....

Japan isn't the only country with fire-based festivals. Take El Salvador for instance, where residents remember a volcanic eruption by throwing fireballs at each other. Hmmm... Strike that one off my list of things to do...

An interesting article, which I may have mentioned before. It's about an American woman working to save traditional Japanese life and practices in a small town in Nagano.

Do you need to break up with someone, or get your loved one to break up with their lover? Do you just want to be with that person but you're not sure how? In Japan, there's a thriving industry that does just that... it's all a bit sad really.

The man who brought the sushi-roll craze to Australia is shutting up shop. I don't know whether to hate him for introducing it, since you can't walk down the street without being assaulted by the smell of stale seaweed and rice, or to praise him for refusing to sell out and franchise his store.

An interesting article which criticizes the latest economic stimulus package from the Japanese Government. Basically, it's a free for all money grab which will llikely see a significant proportion of the funds end up in the hands of corrupt politicians and the Yakuza.

What do you get when you mix Baileys, chilli, tequila, absinthe, ouzo, vodka, cider and gin? This.

Some travel ideas for Europe. All I need now is money and time. Ooops.

More to come, but first I must go and entertain small children.

Fun fun fun!!!

Wow, you disappear for a couple of weeks and all hell breaks loose.


Thailand was lovely and I had a great time relaxing on the beach and enjoying the beer and food. There were protests going on while I was there, but in recent days things have taken a turn for the nasty as gangs of rival political parties have taken to the streets and there have been reports of shootings amongst the running violence. What this could do for a country that plainly needs foreign tourism and investment hardly bears speculating...


The nominations of Joe Biden and Sarah Palin for the job of Vice-President of the USA have dominated the internets for a while. Time to look at them.

I'll deal with Joe Biden first since he's the one which is the least surprising and the most sensible. He's the more-experienced counterweight to Obama's perceived lack of experience which makes political sense.

Biden's been behind some of the more devious elements of the Bush years, including helping with the spurious notion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. He supported the invasion of Iraq, which is in direct opposition to Obama's supposed ani-war rhetoric. His foreign policy experience is long, but doubtful in its integrity - just look at his attitude to NATO for starters.

He's also an intelligent, if not long-winded speaker who will bring some measure of wit and depth to the campaign. It would be hard for McCain and Palin to hold their own against him in any serious debate. He's been known to let his mouth get ahead of his mind though, as well as plagarize the speeches of other politicians. It could spell disaster for Obama if he comes across as uninteligible or boring.

Thise are two things that Sarah Palin cannot be accused of - especially with the revelations that are coming out just mere days after her surprise unveiling to the media.

My initial reaction was that she could clinch the election for McCain since she is the cynically perfect choice for a VP to counter McCain's age and perceived softness on traditional Republican core issues such as abortion and guns. Oh and she's a woman - so that'll get the disillusioned Clinton supporters to switch camps. Or maybe not.

And, as much as I hate to say it, the fact that she's a former beauty queen gives her the 'babe' factor which will get the men voting for her based on looks alone. Rush Limbaugh nailed that one on the head. ("Babies, guns, Jesus" - indeed)

She is a religious nut. She states that she believes in creationism. She's a member of a loony Pentacostalist church. She opposes abortion in all cases - including cases of rape and incest. That alone disqualifies her as an ethical and moral human being.

Of course there's the question of her pregnant daughter and her self-confessed 'redneck' boyfriend. Of course they're going to get married and raise the family together, but you have to wonder what kind of life it's going to be when the father (who is currently 18) says that he's didn't want kids and perfers hanging out with his friends. Oh yeah - that's gonna be a GREAT marriage!

There's also the current ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption involving Palin and decisions she's made as govenor of Alaska.

I believe McCain was forced into this as a move of desperation after his preferred choices were knocked back. Let's face it. He nominated her after only meeting her once before and after a quick job interview where she was offered the job on the spot. I can't think of a situation where that's happened to me - even bar and waiting jobs at university.

The McCain camp's reaction to any criticism of Palin? It's sexism. Good one, yeah. Just ask McCain.

You think I'm spending too much time on Palin and not enough on Biden? Well, elections really are a storm in a media teacup. There really isn't much they've had to say about Biden - hence the danger that he could be perceived as 'boring'. Palin's unfolding soap opera will become media fodder for at least the next few months as the baby saga unfolds. Maybe this is something that McCain is hoping for since Obama's charisma dominated the media for so long. Perhaps Obama's indecisiveness is going to be his undoing.

Once again, the election boils down to character issues and things that should not be factors in choosing the next leader of the USA.

Once again, the wrong people are gunning to become president.


Really can we impeach Bush yet? "Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century" Wuh?! I love the questions posed by the fictional reporter in the article. Not to be outdone, McCain said, "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations." Nice one John.

Can we at least get Bush before he does this?

Former Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, wrote this good piece summing up what the USA has done to screw things up in the past few years.

But Russia is back and is flexing its imperialist muscles, like it or not. As America's power declines, it's shaping up to be an interesting century...

It's been over ten years since the collapse of Yugoslavia, and more and more details are emerging about what really went on. One thing that should be made clear is that it was a religious war between Muslims, Catholic Christians, and Orthodox Christians. The nationalities are just geographical pointers since people were identified and killed by their religion primarily.

By the way, there's a war in Somalia.

Sarah Palin is not the only creationist nut to get an airing today. I'll also nominate Vince Fenech, who would be a harmless creationist nut if he wasn't in charge of the education of children.

The Olympics deserve a mention since they did happen while I was away. London's going to have a hard time following up on this one since they won't have access to thousands of low-paid slave workers. They may also have to spend time proving their ceremonies are legitimate, since the Beijing organisers did such a good job of faking theirs. The ceremonies weren't the only things that were faked however. Take this building for example. Oh, and actually I'm not at all surprised that the pretty girl was miming. From a theatrical point of view it made sense. I'm more disappointed that the children dressed in regional costumes to represent the different ethnicities of China turned out to all be Han Chinese. That was an opportunity for a good gesture on behalf of the organisers and the government but it would have rung hollow amongst those other communities once they found out the truth. It also looks like they may have stolen the arrangements of the national anthems played at the medal ceremonies too. No wonder the government were so keen to crack down on the media as well as the people...


In Japan, the prime minister revealed a massive economic stimulation package, which primarily consisted of cash loans to companies to keep them propped up, then promptly resigned. I guess it was his turn to see the writing on the wall. So we'll have another PM - that's the third in three years. Looks like things are back to normal.

August is an interesting time in Japan. Summer is at its peak and children are enjoying their summer holidays. It's a great time to go travelling and to enjoy the outdoors before the Autumn monsoon and the cooler weather returns. It's also a time to remember the end of the Second World War and some of the events of that period - many of which are being lost in the mists of history.

I think I have found a new hobby - exploring the ruins (haikyo) of Japan's failed modernisation. Ruins of ancient civilizations are cool too, but this really gets me going!

The latest Japanese fetish? DVDs of pretty women cutting and shaving their hair. I wonder how much they were paid...


So it turns out that all that jogging and puffing away on treadmills in the gym is bad for you after all.

When I'm dying I want to be hooked up on this kind of medical program please.

Tesla would be smiling in his grave. Workable wireless power for all.

Jeremy Clarkson needs to be nominated for a kinghthood for his services to the English language. And for an Englishman, his insights into Japanese culture are remarkably perceptive.

Lastly, Muppets and the mystery of what happened to Grover.