Canada: Land of Beautiful People

10 handy phrases for your next trip to Japan

This is a list of ten useful phrases in Japanese for your next visit to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Number 3 is the clear winner:

"3. “Ara! Onara suru tsu-mori datta keh-do, un-chi ga de-chatta.”

The literal translation of this useful phrase is “Oops! I meant to fart but poop came out”.

Saying this useful phrase never gets old, especially in public places, especially on a first date and most especially if it’s clearly one of only 10 Japanese phrases that you’ve memorized.

When in Southeast Asia, I especially enjoy muttering in Japanese about crapping my pants while walking past Japanese tourists. The reactions are priceless."

86 rules of drinking

86 Rules of Drinking - a few personal favorites:

"29. If you owe someone twenty dollars or less, you may pay them back in beer.

65. Before you die, single-handedly make one decent martini.

68. If there is a line for drinks, get your damn drink and step the hell away from the bar.

71. It's acceptable, traditional, in fact, to disappear during a night of hard drinking.
You will appear mysterious, and your friends will understand. If they even notice."

Dutch prison crisis: too few prisoners

The Dutch are faced with a crisis - they don't have enough prisoners to fill their prisons.  The sub-sea level country may be forced to shut down prisons and lay off over a thousand workers.  There is a bright light - Belgium currently has an overpopulation problem and the two countries are working on a deal to keep some Belgian prisoners in Dutch prisons.

XKCD: Designated Driver

"Calling a cab means cutting into beer money."

SCOTUS, the GOP, and the Latino vote

The L.A. Times explores the implications of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation process for the future of the GOP with regard to regaining lost ground with the Latino vote.  While George W. Bush won more than 40 percent of the Latino vote in 2004, Obama won more than two-thirds of the vote this past election.

"The [Republican] senators seemed to be taking their cues from quieter voices within the party who cautioned that opposing the country's first Latino Supreme Court nominee would amount to political suicide."

Why Republicans will fail in SCOTUS fight

Slate's Dahlia Lithwick explains why it would be hypocritical and ineffective for Republicans to try to fight Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on grounds of her being too "emotional" or empathetic to be impartial.  Other likely avenues of attack, including judicial activism and racial bias, are already easily shot down by the facts.  Overall, an interesting article that offers insight into the uphill battle the Republicans have in the SCOTUS confirmation process.

"Judge Sotomayor has taken a fairly moderate, text-based approach to the cases before her, placing her much closer to retiring Justice David Souter than to the late Justice William Brennan on the judicial activism spectrum."

"You can't say she's a judicial activist and then criticize her for applying 2^nd Circuit precedent."

Cocktail: Bacontini

This one comes from a list of The Top 5 Gnarliest College Drinks Known to Man.  Enjoy (responsibly?).

This was made after me and my roommate at the time had literally nothing to do nor drink except the ingredients to a martini and bacon. I’ve actually seen this served in a real bar in New York - somewhat different.

• Cook 3 strips of bacon until crisp.
• Immediately eat one. Why? Just because.
• Crumble up the second one, put into ice in the Martini shaker.
• Strain the gin and vermouth through one of those Martini shaker things.
• Place other bacon strip into this new drink.
• Congratulate yourself.

Should we sleep like the Cleavers?

Sleep is an important part of everyone's day and everyone sleeps best under certain conditions, so should we sleep in separate beds or even, gasp, separate rooms from our spouses?  Gwendolen Fairfax asks precisely that question.

Bunk beds, anyone?

Arab world a little more hopeful about Obama

In a recent poll, the Arab world appears to hate America a 

little less and is a little more hopeful about US policies.

"Just over half of the Arab respondents from six countries say they are 'somewhat hopeful' or 'very hopeful' regarding the Middle East policy of US President Barack Obama's administration, a new survey has found."

Oh shit! N. Korea's got nukes!

North Korea has announced that they successfully completed an underground test of nuclear weapons.  Seismologists in the US and South Korea have confirmed that the 4.5 quake indicates a nuclear test.  The UN Security Council has convened for an emergency meeting and China and Russia have already condemned the test, calling for a return to the multi-lateral talks.

Red Bull: It's got cocaine!

Red Bull may have to change its signature slogan from "It'll give you wings" to "It'll give you arythmia" since authorities in Germany have found traces of cocaine in Red Bull and Cola drinks.  Germany is now considering a national ban on the popular energy drink.

Scientology faces fraud charges in France

Unlike in the United States, Scientology does not enjoy status as a recognized religion in France.  The church is facing charges of fraud amid accusations that it is merely a money-making cult.  The defendants include the group's Paris headquarters and bookshop as well as seven leading French Scientologists, some of whom are being charged with illegally practicing as pharmacists.

TPFD: Mathematical Holidays