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Strange World: U.S. Wins Vietnam and Stays Course in Iraq |
Posted by
Martin
Sunday, November 19 @ 19:59:14 CST (591 reads)
Sometimes you have to admire President Bush... 
from the Herald Tribune 2006.11.17
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Strange World: UK Foreign Secretary Straw meets Alabamans |
Posted by
Martin
Monday, October 24 @ 05:01:39 CDT (1692 reads)
PELHAM, Ala (Reuters) - Foreign Secretary Jack Straw joined Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a weekend tour of her home state to promote understanding of the Anglo-American alliance, but Alabamans struggled to name him.
"You're the English guy," Joyce Delahoussaye said as she shook hands with the foreign minister of America's closest ally. "I've seen you on TV and they said you were from England."
"He's Mr England," she said, introducing Straw to her son, Randy, as the two diplomats met displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina in Pelham.
At a ceremony to unveil statues in Birmingham, speakers variously called the visitor Mr Shaw and Mr Snow. They also mangled his title, appointing him secretary of state to the commonwealth of the United Kingdom.
British and U.S. officials said the tour was designed to show Alabamans that diplomacy is relevant to their lives. They noted that in addition to the photo opportunities with schoolgirls and sports fans, Straw and Rice also each gave a policy speech on democracy.
But local newspaper The Tuscaloosa News questioned whether Straw was just on a junket to help shore up the Bush administration image.
And Alabamans generally appeared bemused by the man from Blackburn, Lancashire.
Straw called American football "rugby with commercials" and tried to explain to a group of elementary schoolchildren the popular British sport of cricket.
Rice said, "When he told them that it took five days, there was just stunned silence."
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Strange World: London Fight's Back |
Posted by
Martin
Monday, August 01 @ 04:07:38 CDT (1180 reads)
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Strange World: Japanese depressed by the reality of Paris |
Posted by
Martin
Monday, December 13 @ 21:30:06 CST (1014 reads)
PARIS: A strange illness has descended on Japanese living in Paris, tipping many of them in a state of profound culture shock after realising their ideals about the French capital were unrealistic, a study published in Monday's Liberation newspaper said.
More than a 100 expatriates a year are sinking into a state called "the Paris syndrome" which is characterised by feelings of persecution or suicidal tendencies, according to the mental health facilities of city hospitals.
Part of their clinical depression stems from having to reconcile their romanticism about Paris with reality, psychiatrists said.
"Magazines are fuelling fantasies with the Japanese, who think there are models everywhere and the women dress entirely in (Louis) Vuitton," Mario Renoux, the head of a French Japanese Society for Medecine was quoted as saying.
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Strange World: Japanese Mafia Groups are becoming Legal Persons - Bosses have to pay for Killin |
Posted by
Martin
Wednesday, November 05 @ 04:15:54 CST (1421 reads)
The Osaka High Court on Thursday ordered the chief of the powerful crime syndicate Yamaguchi-gumi and three members of a criminal gang affiliate to pay a total of 80 million yen in damages for shooting to death an out-of-uniform police officer in 1995 in Kyoto.
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Strange World: Damned Job! |
Posted by
Martin
Sunday, August 17 @ 22:38:29 CDT (1089 reads)
Gerd sent me this picture to prove that there is always a worse jobs out there...
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Strange World: Poorly Understood Katakana (English) Words in Japanese |
Posted by
Martin
Tuesday, August 05 @ 20:27:07 CDT (1286 reads)
TOKYO (Kyodo)--The National Institute for Japanese Language on Tuesday unveiled a list of suggested Japanese terms for 52 foreign words -- mostly English -- that are routinely used government documents and the media but is poorly understood by the public.
Among the Japanized foreign words the government language-watchers hope to excise are ''osentishiti'' for authenticity and ''enfosumento'' for enforcement.
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Strange World: Bush showered with less martial gifts in 2002 |
Posted by
Martin
Wednesday, July 02 @ 17:46:17 CDT (1104 reads)
Perhaps concerned that the Wild West-inspired gifts they showered President George W. Bush with in 2001 may have encouraged militarism, foreign leaders last year all but shunned martial-themed presents to the US leader, according to a document released last week.
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Strange World: 1st Grade Proverbs |
Posted by
Martin
Tuesday, June 03 @ 23:55:12 CDT (1098 reads)
A first grade teacher collected well-known proverbs. She gave each child in her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you.
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Strange World: Freedom - Tokyo Style |
Posted by
Martin
Monday, May 19 @ 06:07:04 CDT (1176 reads)
In 2003, the government banned smoking in center Tokyo. The (public) tobacco industry reacted by opening shops for smokers. With about 50% Tokyoites smoking, “Smokers Style” shops have become some of the busiest places in town (here in Akihabara “Electric Town”).
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Strange World: A Conference in Hongkong, April 2003 |
Posted by
Martin
Saturday, April 26 @ 04:06:56 CDT (1085 reads)
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Strange World: An Australian Conversation, Yesterday |
Posted by
Nick
Thursday, March 27 @ 19:29:02 CST (1104 reads)
A man was caught short on a railway station and had to go to the toilet there.
When he was inside the cubicle, he heard someone go into the one next door.
Suddenly the man next door said: "Hi, how are you?".
The man was a bit taken aback, but answered "Good, thanks".
Man next door then said "What are you doing"? Our man, shocked, said: "Just minding my own business".
Just then the man next door said: "Wait a minute, there's someone talking to me from the next cubicle".
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Strange World: John Cleese: New Axis of Evil Arrivals |
Posted by
Nick
Thursday, March 20 @ 03:33:10 CST (1229 reads)
Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the Axis of Evil, Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil," which they said would be more evil than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of in his State of the Union address. Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil...we're the best."
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Strange World: Iraq War Explained in Texas Language |
Posted by
Martin
Sunday, February 09 @ 20:30:57 CST (1043 reads)
Tamio Nakamura just sent me this nice piece of political analysis...
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Strange World: Another Bush Picture |
Posted by
Nick
Monday, February 03 @ 23:19:35 CST (1176 reads)
Here is another nice picture...
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