Anne Jacobsen article from WomansWallStreet about her experience on a flight with a groups of suspicious acting "Arabs." Personally, I think it's xenophobia, meant to keep us is fear; but hey, you read it and tell me what you think. Oh here's the followup.

Presbyterian Church of USA is divesting itself of investments in Israel.

The Complete Works of HP Lovecraft

My toolbelt is getting a little tight: Playboy launches "Women of Home Depot." Beats working for $7.50 an hour I suppose. [CNN article, i.e., perfectly SFW.]

I scream, you scream, we all scream about repellant Japanese ice cream flavors. Can you believe wasabi flavor, or eel flavor?

Michael Moore doesn't care if you download free copies of Fahrenheit 911...just don't sell it. Not everyone is please, though.

Heated interview with Irish journalist Carol Coleman. This is what TV news is supposed to be like! The whole show is great, in fact! [Link to page where you can stream the interview or the individual segments. .smil file, which is apparently a Real Player extension.] If you don't have broad band, here's a transcript of the interview.

They're requesting UN observers to over see the election--just to insure its fairness. Did I mention the election in question is for the US president--and the "they" are several members of the US House of Representatives?

Marlon Brando 'nearly destitute' according to a recent biography.

How to pick a lock...in case you were wondering. [.pdf file]

"Women with cosmetic breast implants are more likely to commit suicide, a new study says..." Apparently the rate is three times the "norm." Test was conducted on Finnish women, if that matters. It is suggested that there be psychological screening of those seeking the surgery.

Movie characters driving in the city will get to park wherever they like when they get to their destination. A compendium of movie cliches. Nuff said.

What do you do if a rape defendant is an identical twin, and he's accusing his brother of the crime? DNA evidence won't save the day, as monozygotic twins share identical DNA. Furthermore, eyewitness testimony is bound to be skewed. Wouldn't want to be a juror on this one.

Excuse me, I'd like to open a boink account. Major European investment bank mulls the better things in life...and concludes that it's not all about money. These are the top three: 1 Don't equate happiness with money. 2 Exercise regularly. 3 Have sex. I'll let you read the rest.

No Soup For You! Chinese govt cracks down on restaurants that put opium poppy seeds in their soups and stews. Hey, they're just trying to establish a clientele.

"Keep your hands off the jailbait": Virginia Dept of Health. They're discouraging older men from screwing around with young girls. more inside

Stumbled across these disturbing photos of the Gulag. They're not really great photos. I like them because I like Russian history of the Stalinist era. If that period doesn't interest you, you could probably skip it.

Bilingualism: antidote for senility? According to the researchers cited, bilingual people do better on cognitive tests. They didn't study people who learned a second language as an adult, though.

Meteorite crashed into NZ family's house.

Zimbabwe nationalizes all property, a move widely predicted to throw the country back by centuries. Citizens will receive 99 year "leases" instead of deeds. For me this raises the question, is private property really the basis of all productive societies?