An interesting study…the brain can be much more painful than pain itself…. cd It found that among 32 volunteers who agreed to have a series of shocks to the foot, some of them dreaded each shock so much that they repeatedly opted to have a higher-voltage jolt just so they could get it over with…
Month: May 2006
Do you like to Party?
This looks pretty cool. Jason in Arizona sent me this link hoping that Mink Hippie and I would write about some of our burning man experiences last year or maybe other great World Festivals we’ve been to. I like it. Things like swimming in Chang Mai canals during Songkran, Monsoon parties in the Indian Ocean,…
Recipe for virility: visit the Asadachi
Someone sent me this video clip of what appeared to be a sushi bar. The sushi was quite unlike any I had ever seen, though. Apparently, all the house specialties are designed to enhance virility. A popular selection is the live frog – it is skinned before your eyes and you are offered the still-beating…
China Makes Artificial Rain for Beijing
This might seem at first glance to be just a simple story, but if you take a moment to think about it further, it raises some very interesting questions….things like 1) Are rain and the water it produces a finite resource? 2) Does creating artificial rain in one place affect rainfall in another place? 3)…
Feliz Dia de la Batalla de Puebla
….or Happy Cinco de Mayo. I realized that I had no idea what the hell happened on Cinco de Mayo. On May 5, 1862, the underdog Mexican army defeated Napoleon III’s French troops at Puebla. What were the French doing there, you might ask… In 1861, drowning in debt, the Mexican government announced that it…
Schools battle toilet trespassers
Latrines are a big deal in public health – keeping poop from spreading around a community massively decreases illness and death (particularly among children). So, my first reaction to this story was that it was great that people understood that using the latrine was a good thing and were even willing to break in to…
Memorial Cost at Ground Zero Nears $1 Billion – New York Times
What?!? One BILLION dollars?!? Now don’t get me wrong – the WTC disaster was a horrible tragedy and I have no objection to a memorial for the thousands of people who died there. But they are DEAD! Sure, build a nice elegant little memorial – hell, spend a few million if you want – but,…
Mexico's Fox Backs Off Drug Decriminalization Bill
Why am I not surprised? The office of Mexican President Vicente Fox says he will not sign a bill that would have legalized possession of small amounts of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin. President Fox’s office said in a statement Wednesday that the law would be sent back to Congress for changes. The…
Filipinas aim for breast-fed best
First we had the largest chain of bras. Now we have the largest gathering of lactating breasts…. More than 3,000 mothers in the Philippines have made a bid to break the Guinness World Record for simultaneous breast-feeding. A total of 3,738 mothers simultaneously breast-fed their babies for at least a minute, said Manila mayor Lito…
Kinky Kim rules in North Korea
Thanks, Huffpo. Albright also appeared on the Daily Show two nights ago to promote her book. She described a conference which she attended at the White House, ostensibly called by B*** to ask the advice of the numerous high-ranking former government officials who attended. Albright told B*** that the war in Iraq was not going…