Ninja dishonours Shaolin Temple, monks seek legal recourse. I'm all for the rule of law and everything, but I was really hoping for a battle royale.

Japan to Blow Up Stuff Real High A rocket will be launched into the sky and release lithium vapor into the ionosphere, creating three huge red balls of light—both as big and bright as the moon—to be seen in the sky for one and a half minutes. I was interested by the graphic - is it typical to show Japan from the "north-down"?

#9 - MonkeyFilter snatched from the blue more inside

Arthur Miller's Guilty Secret - Playwright Arthur Miller had a son 40 years ago. But Miller was unable to love the boy.

Dear John, Your service is being terminated. I have to say, as one who is a bit anti-cellphone, I thought this was pretty humorous. more inside

Strange Maps! Wonderful Maps! Some Odd, Curious, and Fanciful maps-- Cartographic Curiosities More online maps from the Yale Map Collection more inside

The century of the self. By introducing a technique to probe the unconscious mind, Freud provided useful tools for understanding the secret desires of the masses. Unwittingly, his work served as the precursor to a world full of political spin doctors, marketing moguls, and society's belief that the pursuit of satisfaction and happiness is man's ultimate goal. The BBC documentary on Google Video: Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

Physical Acting I just saw this Rowan Atkinson routine and was reminded of another great physical acting gig. more inside

How Political Psychology Explains Bush's Ghastly Success. Some pundits have tried to explain away this mystery by arguing that Bush backers voted for their values rather than their interests. But this explanation is unsatisfying, since many of those voters didn't opt for "family values" in 1992 and 1996, when the country elected a well-known philanderer as president. The answer (according to the article) is more inside

Almost everybody in the fishing business has had sex with a manta at some point. Apparently.

neigh-CHOOOOO The Royal Randwick Racecourse has been locked down. At least 8 horses have tested positive for Equine flu. It is predicted that 700 horses will contract the virus. [crossposted to mefi] more inside

Soy sauce for ice cream - from the Japanesians. Also, the often blogged interesting Japanese ice cream flavours. more inside

Kasper Hauser is a San Francisco sketch comedy group named for a feral child who was the subject of a 1974 film by MoFi favorite Werner Herzog. They're very funny live, but there's plenty to check out in the first link, such as Spicy Pony Head (mp3) (depicting a difficult interaction between waiter and restaurant patron) and Captain's Log (mp3) (which depicts Capt. Kirk on acid). more inside

Six days at a Scottish monastery.

Sidney Besieged by Frothing, Foamy Ocean of Doom: Foam swallowed an entire beach and half the nearby buildings, including the local lifeguards' centre, in a freak display of nature at Yamba in New South Wales.

Hilly Kristal dead at 75.

10 recording bloopers that made the album.

Place names of North East England and what they mean. So much interactive goodness inside! Eeeh gadgie, just tyek a little peek in hoose, but gan canny, yee might larn summat aboot the Geordie, tee. more inside

Rich bitch? Leona Helmsley, who died last week, leaves her dog "Trouble" $12mil. more inside

The CIA can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of a nuclear generator lost in the Himalayas in 1965. - Years, decades, or centuries from now, the corpse of the rogue generator may yet rise from its icy grave and exact a radioactive revenge upon humanity. Or, the Chinese have it.