What Caught My Eye Today
Belgium - Belgium ended months of political crisis this week when five parties agreed to join together in a coalition government. Wouldn't it be nice if our two parties could do the same from time to time. Many observers feared the country would break in two. Parliamentary elections last June gave a plurality to a Flemish party, but it was unable to find enough partners to form a majority government. After six months of stalemate, the king appointed an interim government. Now three months later, the parties have finally agreed to share power. Things could always be worse, you know. Look at Italy. Those poor slobs have to form a new government almost every year. However, the future doesn't look very promising for Belgium. I'd hold off on getting that new world atlas if I were you. It appears likely that the political boundaries of Europe are going to change again in the not to distant future.
France - Faced with a growing global demand for bubbly, French wine authorities expanded the region in which vineyards can legally label their product as Champagne. For 90 years, the Champagne region has covered just 319 districts (about 76,000 acres); the Bourdeaux region is nearly four times larger. Now, vintners in an additional 38 districts will be allowed to sell their sparkling wine as Champagne. In a Champagne-producing district, land is worth well over half a million dollars an acre. In a neighboring region producing a different wine, land brings just $3,000 an acre. I suppose you can take your pick of real estate catchphrases on this story. Two come to mind--"Location, location, location," and "being on the right side of the tracks." As for the increased production, one hopes that these guys weighed the pros and cons of expanding the wine making region to satisfy demand against the risks of possibly diluting the quality of the product.
Italy - The more I read about these folks, the more I like them. Italy's highest court ruled that Italians cannot be punished for lying to police about their love affairs. The court ruled that denying an affair is a matter of self-protection (no argument here.), and falls under the law that says Italians cannot be forced to incriminate themselves. "Having a lover is a circumstance that damages the honor of a person," the court ruled, so it is every Italian's right to hide that circumstance. I know a certain former governor of New York and probably a lot of members of Congress that wouldn't mind having that law on the books here in the United States.
Vocabulary - As a self-proclaimed space junkie, you might think that I would be reluctant to poke fun at NASA. And you would be wrong. Here is a collection of phrases that NASA has used to make itself sound like, well, a bunch of rocket scientists
- Scientists examining images sent from the Mars Odyssey noted a possible cave skylight on the surface of the planet.
Translation: They found a hole in ground - A report on Endeavour's 13th launch explains that the flight crew ingressed into the orbitor.
Translation: They went into it. - In the 1980s, engineers were tasked with building a cell electronic unit cooling subassembly.
Translation: They built a fan. - In a 2007 report, NASA administrator warned against too many desirements in the Constellation program.
Translation: Stuff they like but don't need. - After ingesting powdered chili, astronauts often utilize the Shuttle waste contamination system.
Translation: They use the toilet.
Basketball - Round 2 of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is starting off pretty much the same way that Round 1 ended--by decimating what's left of my brackets. The latest victim was #2 seed Duke getting ousted by #7 West Virginia. After starting on with 15 correct picks on Day 1, I have gone 8 for 17 since. On the bright side, I checked both ESPN and Yahoo Sports and found that no one managed to pick the correct outcomes for the first round.
Public Service Announcement - In this edition, we focus our attention on anti-social networking sites for those of us who have no friends willing to say nice things about us on our Facebook.com pages.
Enemybook.info models itself after the age-old saying, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Just as you might classify friends on Facebook, you can specify why certain people are your enemies and see who considers you an adversary. This is cool. Rather than looking introspectively to see if I really am a jerk, I can continue the way that I am and assume everyone around me is an enemy.
Hatebook.com looks similar to Facebook, but it takes a "less friendly approach" to online socializing. The site is an "open forum for abuse and aggression" that lets you befriend "other haters," track enemies with an "Evil Map," and stay posted on the activity of "Other fricking idiots." Here's another gem. After all, who among us isn't sick and tired of all that love and compassion in the world. What we need is more hate and contempt.
Snubster.com lets you build "personal lists of enemies" from your Facebook contacts. You send snubs to foes, informing them that they are either "on notice" or "dead to me." This too will come in handy. Ever since I graduated from high school the opportunities for acting like an immature little twit have been few and far between. Now I can relive the glory days of high school.
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