The best way to recuperate

First up, the Berlin Film Festival awards have been given, and the winner was a south african version of Carmen. The amazing thing about this film, is that the lyrics have been translated into Xhosa whilst the location has been changed to a small township in said country.

Who ever thought that a city law banning total nudity in public could be gotten around so easily, by just selling visitors a pad and pencil to make their own sketches of the naked ladies performing for them. Maybe the law was sponsored by an art studio...

In a great move (in my opinion) an independent swedish television station released an advert contrasting itself with the italian leader's monopoly of media, and stating that it's content would not be politically tainted like that in Italy. Of course, said leader wasn't at all pleased with these facts, but hey, if he wants to claim his stations aren't biased towards himself, let him try to prove it...

In New Zealand, a man protesting at his right to travel about in public naked, turned up to his court appearance in nothing but his birthday suit. He did put on some clothes before seeing the judge, however.

In an effort to reduce the amount of cockroaches (of which, apparently, the german one is the worst), scientists have found a way of reproducing sex pheromones normally released by the female, which can attract males from far away to it. Combining this with a deadly virus or pathogen, they hope the disease will spread and kill off not only the males who were originally attracted to it.

Researchers at Stanford University have shown that Dracula was not just a guy with a weird biting fetish, but that taking young blood does actually help to liven up the old body. Expect to see fizzy cans of it on your shelves soon...

A teacher in Florida was recently visited by local police after it surfaced that he was teaching students how to make bombs in the chemistry class, which led to one boy detonating an explosion on a local golf course. Of course, the other teachers should be taking note, as to get students actively involved in class takes some doing. Also, one can't help wondering to think what his classes in physics and biology would have been like...

Now with the Bush visit coming closer, the number of demonstrations is increasing daily (see this site) and the problems his presence is going to cause becomes more apparent. Not only is most of the old town completely closed off to people (those living there also having to leave) but most of the centre is also closed (see this map), and anyone wishing to work on this day has to give a good reason (apparently it's not enough that it's a normal working day, you have to have a special reason why you can't take this day off as one of your holidays!!).

So if on this day I was to be interviewed, and asked if I had a question for the president, I would proffer the following: What does he feel about the fact that his visit will force me to walk home from hospital after a knee operation, as no connecting transport will be running? Taxis will also not be allowed throughout the city, and due to the number of protestors, it will be impossible to get past the main station.

Not enough that I have to walk back, but now I'm running the risk of catching rabies whilst I'm there, after an organ donee recently died after being infected with the disease from the transplanted organ. Now I will sleep well...

Think of me...