The Real Germany, Shock Absorbers and Saverio's Birthday

Well, not wanting to be a bit hasty, but last week a certain somebody else from Madrid celebrated another year on this earth (as opposed to the other one?). Yes, Javi became one year older on March 7th (not the 4th, like somebody thought...). So hope he got what he wished for...

Now onto some news. People never seem to believe me when I recount tales of things that happen on a regular basis here in Germany (like trains always being late - well, my ones anyway). So it was good to see another reporter found out for himself exactly what's going on here when he came over to visit Cebit in Hannover. Read his article (here) and then you'll get to know the real facts.

Now for something a bit light-headed (well light, something, anyway). Ever thought of the best way to market a sports bra? No, I didn't think so. Well someone has done it, and to what effect ! Take a look at the "interactive" website here. Amazing ! And who said that marketing types were all boring...

Other things happening around the world at the moment: In Colombia the Congressional Election is under way today, of course not without a huge amount of criticism surrounding the paramilitary involvement (despite offically being disbanded now). The presidential election comes a couple of month's later...

Next up is Castro, who has decided on a bit of luxary for when he flies over to visit Bush, sorry, that'll never happen...but he has just received two new planes from Russia. Take a look inside them here. Good to know the people aren't going hungry...

Apart from that, Valencia is currently being rocked by a set of blasts on a daily basis. But don't worry, it's not a terrorist attack, rather the opening of the Fallas that every day sees the mascleta go off...
For those who can, get over there and party.

So, another week gone by, another reel of news seen and read. Nothing left to say, but see you soon...

Congratulations

As always at this time of the year, there's a birthday in toe. This time it's Lou's. She celebrated her ### (-edited) year yesterday. So happy birthday to you !

Something else spectacular happened yesterday. I was online when I came across someone I hadn't spoken to for a while. He was having a computer problem (why does everyone I know have a computer problem?). Helping him out, he told me that he had just managed to access the results of his spanish diploma (nivel superior). I can't think of another word to describe this, he was ecstatic! He couldn't stop talking (normally a trait associated with me) and was obviously over the moon. Who could it be you may be asking? Well, if it wasn't obvious by now, it was the main man - Luca !! (of course, I'm expecting Laurent to come out of the jungles of Angola with a certificate in portuguese any moment, but this day solely belonged to the italian). So without further ado, well done Luca !!!

And that's about it for the moment, except to state that after certain adventures of 12 hours in Atlanta Airport and a delayed suitcase full of clothes (the one with presents in arrived safely) Olgui is now contemplating how to put up with the speed of life in Colombia, after the hectic that was here in Germany before her Vordiplom exam (which, of course, she passed).

Well, that'll be it for now, except maybe you might want to check out a test site for my new photo albums. Not recommended for non-DSL users (bit bandwidth hungry), but try it out, and tell me what you think (click here).

That'll be it for now then, sleep tight.

Hands On Trips

Unusual title, but you'll soon see the links.

First things first, a big "Happy Birthday" goes out to Jordi today, who has actually decided to celebrate it by buying some new sunglasses. Yes, he's gone off to Italy accompanied by the ever-friendly Albé (saludos a tu padre). Here's hoping he gets to taste some home-made pasta...

Yesterday, it was also the birthday of Gem (brother's fiancée), of course being a lady, I won't even attempt to mention her age :)

Someone else who's gone away is Olga. She's gone back to her homeland Colombia to soak up the sun and forget about the upcoming World Cup here in Germany.

Speaking of Colombia, one has to be careful there nowadays. As a cyclist found out when he groped a woman in the street. He is now spending the next four years in prison for his troubles.

Now, the news you have all been waiting for. There is scientific proof that a having sex increases your lifespan. The bad news - you have to be a zambian mole rat for that to be true.

The US is not well known for it's religious tolerance. However, in a supreme court ruling, a brazilian church that uses hallucinogenic tea in it's rituals has been granted permission to keep on doing so, despite the FBI previously banning it.

Another news story from that local hub of activity - Darmstadt. A local resident complained to police that the drugs he just bought from his dealer were not good quality, and wanted his money back. Of course, police decided to arrest him for possessing the drugs anyway, and even let the dealer go...

Well, for the moment it's all Helau, seeing as we're into the carnival weekend in Mainz. Yes, people dressed up in funny costumes and drunkards all over the place (and I'm not just talking about the student bars).

So wrap up warm and don't let any strangers in...

Perfectly Poured Beer and the Return of Mussolini

Not so far away from here, at the technical uni of Darmstadt (Alarm!), students have just handed in their seminar practical application. And it's interesting ! Yes, no longer do you need to spend hours trying (and failing) to pour your Hefeweizen beer into it's long glass, without creating too much head, or not getting all the yeast out of the bottle. These students have produced a machine that does it for you ! Talking about all this beer makes me thirsty, but still in pain from that wisdom tooth being taken out last monday, there's no way I'm going to be seeing one of those soon. Not like this other guy, who drank everything out of the fridge...

Whilst investigating a bit about the old Hefeweizen, I came across a site that shocked me to the core. No, not someone that doesn't like beer, much worse. Someone has published a recipe for my special beer pancakes, that I was renowned for whilst living in the Wohnheim Hechtsheim !! Now I have to go and prove that I invented them first...

Any of you unlucky in love, and think that a mobile phone ringtone can't change that? (it can, you try playing the Crazy Frog tune on it, and you'll see all the members of the opposite sex clambering to get away from you). Well, a woman has invented Pherotones - tunes that make you attractive to anyone you want. And they're pretty specific ringtones too (check out the variety), for guys and gals, so try them out (and send me the photos if they worked).

The US has decided that it was about time it's troops got to learn how to interact with the Iraqi people whilst they're spending in their country. About time too, you may say, as not all people can speak english (some might argue that most americans can't speak it either, but that's a subject for another time). Anyway, what better method to teach the soldiers than to program them a scenario game, where gestures are used, and explained why they were chosen over other more usual (and western) ones. Great! you might think, but hang on, you don't think they programmed the game from scratch do you? No, of course not, they used the engine from another game. And what game would that be? Why, the well known shoot-em-up Unreal Tournament. Makes me feel all safe inside...

And now on to Italy. Yes the land of cornettos, pizza and pasta. So what's happening there then? Well, as the election campaign gets under way, the current bun, sorry president, has decided to forge links with the Mussolini party and two other neo-fascist parties. Good to know he doesn't try to hide his ideals...
On top of that, the supreme court there has decided that the rape of a young girl (14) was less serious because she was already "sexually active". It just beggers belief.

To end on a good note, I will be offering my services (no, not those sort) of company for the 15th March and 15/16th April in Madrid, where I'll be stopping over from my next holiday to Colombia . So anybody around at that time, get in contact and I'll try to meet up for a quick (or long) beer or two or three. Oh, and the tapas :)

Mmmmm, food...

Sales and Football

No sooner is it reported that Jordi's abode is being extended, then he jumps over board and head off for the lowlands. In so doing ideas start forming in his mind...could it be that he's off to Toulouse...or is it just a diversion whilst he really concentrates his efforts in Brussels...tune in next week to find out more.

For those of you in the centre of the centre (Madrid), you might be interested to know that Air Madrid has offers on at the moment for return fares to Rome, Milan, Paris, London and Frankfurt for 27 Euros (excluding taxes). So get your skates on and go travelling (that means you too, Lou).

A Peruvian football team has been wondering recently, why sales of their shirts have gone through the roof. Could it be the lovely green color? Or their cheap price? Well, actually it's because of the name of the team: Deportiva Wanka. If you're not sure what that means, check out an english slang dictionary.

That's it for now...

The foolish man built his house upon the sand

You all know how the song goes, so join in !
Okay, don't then.

So this week has seen Jordi get busy making cups of tea (well, seeing as it's Spain, probably coffee, or a beer) for the builders who are now taking his house apart. Hopefully he still has a roof to protect him from the...sun (you thought, I was going to say rain, didn't you?).

Paolo has in the meantime gone down to Nuremberg to show off his gaming skills, but like a boomerang he'll be coming back on monday.

Mar is getting impatient and wanting to give birth now (has it got anything to do with the winter sales that are finishing in a few days?).

Now something for those of you looking to sing hallelujas in bed. Just read the article, I'll say no more.

We've all heard of those big american companies letting their list of customer's credit card numbers fall into dubious hands. However, none have been quite as stupid as the case of the Boston Globe (newspaper).
As the papers are delivered in bundles, to stop them getting wet or dirty, they are wrapped in old paper. You wouldn't guess what was printed on the other side of this rough paper, would you?...

And continuing the theme of stupidness, we have the case of a dealer who's home was robbed of a quantity of drugs. He then went and reported it to the police. The robber was arrested, but so was the dealer. Doh !

Some of you might have heard about Google's censoring in China. Did you really understand it though? Try this test, first look up Tiananmen on google.com.
And now try it on Google China. Scary.

Apart from those titbits, nothing else clambours from my mind to be mentioned, so may you have a relaxing weekend.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

And so we start the 4703rd year of the chinese calendar. Yes, as of today, we are living in the year of the dog (woof!). What else does one do to celebrate the new year? Check out this link.

And to celebrate such occasion, we have accordingly brought in a special pet. "Welcome back to Mainz" goes out to Paolo (el sardo, el cerdo...) !!
He is currently awaiting his bus from Hahn airport, and assuming the bus driver decides to stop there this time (not like my trip last year), he should be arriving here within the next hour.

For those of you still believing that the quality of food here in Germany is still one of the best, have a look at the following site (in german) about all the problems with sale of out-of-date meat, that you probably hadn't even heard about (they do well about keeping all this news with the realms of the national border).

And now for something completely different.
A well known preservative maker carried out their annual survey on the subject of S (make sure the children are outside) E (close the curtains and stop the neighbours peeking in) X (lay down the rug in front of the warm fire). And the 2005 year's results show...
...well you'll just have to check the site out here and find out for yourself :)

And last but not least, if you're feeling like stargazing over the following week, and the weather is just not being kind, don't dispair. NASA has created a great diversion, in that they've sent a spacesuit out into space relaying a message every 30 seconds. You can listen in to it as from Feb 3rd, tuning in to 145.990 MHz FM (may need a special radio to pick up such a frequency). They even offer certificates to people who here the message, and prizes if you decipher the picture. So get your antennas pointing skywards now !

Well, the snow's stopped falling, the ground's still frozen, and the sun even comes out for a bit (although now it's nightime anyway). So, wrap up well, and tune in again, same time (plus or minus a few days), same place (virtually).

Bye for now

I'm sorry Lou

In my list of erasmosian movements, I commited an awful mistake. Yes, I'm sad to say that I forgot to mention Lou.
After a few chats with her I did in fact know all the latest news. Unfortunately, with a mind like a seive, I forgot it when it came to writing it down. Now I hope I'm making it up to her :)
She is currently teaching in Madrid, making sure the youth of today gets brought up proper.
Last weekend she went on a bit of an outing, to the Pyrenees with another member of this special group, to whom I've given the nickname of "friends" (the group, not the member). Yes, Albé was also there, obviously showing his male prowess by climbing the highest mountains without any gear, and in fact, without any clothes (that's how man he is). Lou has promised me that I'll get a look at the photos soon, although upon second thoughts, could you leave out the one's of Albé please...

What else has been happening? Well, you've no doubt heard about a couple of whales this week. Firstly, one decided to go for a short holiday to London, and visit the Queen, or Tony Blair (actually, probably not him). After doing the sightseeing tour of the houses of parliament (but not opting to go up in the London Eye) the whale got a bit stressed out by all the commotion (or the parking tickets it kept getting) and died (late addition: apprently it died of dehydration).
Of course, when a whale dies on the shores of the UK, the queen get's to bagsy (first offer) the corpse. In this case, I don't think she wanted any more blubber in Buckingham Palace.

Another whale also made it into the news, but this one was dead before it became famous. Greenpeace decided to take the (naturally) dead whale corpse, and leave it outside the Japanese Embassy in Berlin, demonstrating that whales also die naturally.

On a leaving note, did you know that websites like Google store personal information, which is now being requested by the US government? I thought not. 77% of people didn't know that, but it's true. And it gets worse; the MSN and Yahoo! search engines have been told to hand over user search requests, and they caved in without even trying to resist. Something for you to ponder about.

Surf safe...

Catching Up With The Jones'

No sooner had I put pen to paper last week (ok, finger to keyboard) than a flurry of responses to my new year's mail came in. So in no particular order, let's round up what's been happening...

From my gap year, Olaf and Valentina are expecting a child (ok, Valentina's expecting it, Olaf will just pretend to be pushing when he/she is born :)
Arjan and (insert wife's name here) are also doing fine, working across the desk from Olaf.

Regarding Erasmus friend's...Elisa has gone back to Madrid after finishing her work in a bank in Frankfurt.
Miquel has finished his physics studies and is now considering his possibilities (whilst using every opportunity to complement Ana :)
Gloria is still in Munich teaching away, Elena P being not far away across the border in an austrian village working as well.
Luca is finishing off his master's thesis, Mavi spent New Year's in Cuba (lucky her!) but is now back to teaching children how to do maths in Valencian...
Jaume is doing a doctorate in Valencia, as is José (Marques).
Albakra is preparing for his final exams, whilst working away with his heavy metal. Albé is also working, although I'm not sure where...
Javi is doing a masters and working his way up the ladder to become a certified spaniard (well, ok, to become an embassy representative of said country). Elena C is also in exactly the same situation (they even have the same russian class...).
Juanfran has gone down south (not Australia, rather southern Spain). He now works and resides in a town not far from the border with Portugal (probably eating fish all day long).
Carlitos, Roberto, Ali and Luigi are all still doing their bit to help out german nuclear physics research, whilst Fernando is teaching students in Valencia, and Paolo is doing his doctorate there.
Laurent is currently in (insert current dangerous country here), Leanna is in Rio , Jordi is recovering from a bout of the flu and Olga is getting ready for more psychology exams.

From uni, Kathy is back from her stint in Fiji and Australia and is now settling back to the Londoner's way of life (read, party).
Scott, Andy and Andrew are all continuing with their doctorate's, wondering when it will all end...
Helen is busy being famous on TV shows and the like, promoting physics.

My parents are finally ready to move onto a narrow boat, and are renting out their house in the lovely city of Bath (for more information, please see the contact page :)

So that's the current state of things, updates will be posted when the rest of you get back to me and tell me what you've being doing.

And with that, I'll love you and leave you (only in the metaphorical sense).

New Year's Resolution

Okay, might as well get it over with now. Those of you who have been wondering why I haven't written here for such a long time can let it all out (although why nobody thought to email me asking what was the matter, I do not know...),

Yes, I am finally back at it (the writing that is). After nearly half a year of break (and no, it wasn't a holiday, although I wish it was) I have started the year off by resolving to devote more time to writing here, and hopefully bring up the quality of the posts :)

So what have I been up to during this period? Well, I know I'm not that good at remembering things (probably the reason I find it necessary to write here :) but a few of the reasons could have been lots of work, moving house, red tape, no internet connection, and being operated on.

What's much more interesting is what have you all been up to? I know various people have taken the Christmas opportunity to go back home to see their family, whilst others have decided to move completely, changing jobs, studies and marital status...

But enough of the past, it's 2006, so let's look to the future...

This year finds many of my old schoolfriends tying the knot, with Amir, Will and Nick all deciding this summer is the time to get hitched, before their other halves have time to think it through :) Also this summer will see my brother Dug getting together with the lovely Gem. I'll of course try my best to get the best snaps of said occasion, however if he goes through with forcing me to wear that bright pink suit with green neck-tie I might have to make other arrangements...

As well as marriages, this year sees many new entries into the family scene. Yep, Gemma, Mar and Clara are all expexting little nippers later on.

So what else are we to expect in the next twelve months? You might not have failed to notice that the World Cup 2006 will take place in Germany. What does this mean? Well, firstly that the flight prices are going to go through the roof. The big cities will also be overcrowded, and the TV is going to lose any other interesting programs it had preprogrammed. Of course, the question remains unanswered as to whether the host nation will get very far, or whether England repeats it's 1966 show and brings football home again...

Now I think it's time to let you get back on with your Saturday afternoon shopping (in Germany - shops close soon) TV watching (in the UK - some important premiership matches on at the moment) or just relaxing (rest of the world).

See you soon...

Mixed Feelings

No need to go into too much detail about the main events that have happened recently. Suffice it to say, that both congratulations (for winning the bid to host the 2012 olympics) and condolences (for the terrorist bombing of 3 tube trains and a bus) are in order for London, and with that, England.

For those of you who believe that the ability of your female partner to enjoy herself is down to you, here's some scientific news claiming that it's all in fact down to her genes (I knew clothing was important to a woman, but not this much !).

With the blows going to and fro between the French leaders and the British ones, here's an interesting articles about the various rules that govern these battles.

An education charity has stated that having US-style "yellow buses" would reduce accidents and help congestion. I can't really say that I believe that painting the double deckers in london would create fewer accidents, nor that they could help to relieve stomach pains after eating too much, but hey, that's science...

The Metropolitan Police has produced a special report claiming that african boys are being brought into the UK for the sole purpose of human sacrifice. It's unbelieveable what still goes on, and right under our noses too, and has only just been brought into the limelight. Let's hope that measures to combat this come into force soon.

Those of you who have seen the film Mississippi Burning (if not see it now, definitely worth it) would be interested to hear that at last a man is being tried for the killing of the three boys, and it has just been revealed that he was in fact a member of the Klu Klux Klan, despite earlier protests to the contrary. Sometimes stories just carry on outside of the cinemas...

A bottle of whisky was sold to a businessman for an incredible 32 thousand pounds. And what better way to celebrate this achievement, than to drink the bottle in one night with your closest friends. That's the way to do it in style, none of this keeping the bottle in the cellar until it's too old to drink...

Scientists in the Netherlands have been able to show that women switch off their brains during sex. Yes (no light-bulb jokes here please) apparently you can now see if your partner is doing a Harry met Sally just by keeping a brain scanner close to hand...

Now a shock development in the US legal process (ok, the shock facter really isn't there any more) has seen journalists who used their First Amendment right to keep their sources identity secret go to jail. Yes, the Supreme Court, which is supposed to be a medium between the government and the people, has decided the people no longer have any rights when it isn't in the government's interest.

Never mind cloning, the thing to watch out for is battlefield resurrections. After scientists have found that they could bring back to life a dog who was medically dead, by just administering 100% oxygen, and using electric shocks whilst reintroducing it's blood. Of course they say they haven't tried it on humans yet, but it could explain a lot of strange happenings...

After NASA managed to smash a probe into Tempel-1 (operation Deep Impact) a russian is suing the space agency for mental trauma, citing that any change to a comet's orbit will definitely affect her own fate. The fact that she is an astrologer might of course make her correct, but mental trauma? Let's wait and see what the judge says.

And finally, ever wanted to understand what your body has been trying to tell you? Well, now you can with this Body Language site, including the extremely useful "does your urine smell of maple syrup?" question.

Sleep Safe

One-track Mind

Well, the hot weather has come to an end, and we now have to put up with the thunderstorms instead. What better way than to catch up on the news...

For those lovers of social websites along the lines of finding your links with other people through your common friends, might be interested to know about a new service that has started up to find your links with other people through common sleeping partners. Yes, that one night stand in the back of the kebab van has now linked you with a sheep named fred...

Now for those lonely people out there who want to raise money for the San Franciscan Center for Sex and Culture (what they have to do with each other I don't know - what was wrong with learning greetings from other cultures?) a certain marathon activity took place. To read more I suggest you follow this link...

GPS has been used for many useful things, from finding lost people to helping you find your way to that highly recommended pub. Now it's gone one step further and has been integrated into female underwear. It's being marketed as a way to find out if your wife has been cheating on you, but it has much more potential. Just think of those times you've come back from a party drunk without any underwear on, and don't know where you left them. Now you just fire up your receiver and you can follow the signal back to where they are. Of course, you may not want to remember with whom you were that forgotten night, so maybe it's worth leaving them be...

Something serious now. Ever wondered what happened to those so-called epidemics that were about to happen but now don't appear in the news any more? Does it mean it's safe now? On the contrary (my dear watson), as this article shows.

So, back to the real world, and let's just hope that the crazy frog song is no longer number 1 in the UK charts...

A Resounding "Non"

Well, as was to be expected, France voted against the european constitution. Around 55 percent of the voters put their mark in the "non" box, and sowith have scuppered the chances of the consitution going ahead, as all 25 states have to pass it.
The UK has been debating whether to call off their public debate if the french said no, as there is no way for it to go ahead now. On wednesday the population of the Netherlands are also going to the polls and are expected to vote against it as well.
Watching the news here in Germany has shown politicians saying that they believe that letting the people vote is wrong, as they aren't capable of making such a decision. Furthermore, they think it's a pity if it's only France (and maybe the Netherlands) that are nullifying the contitution, when 9 other states have voted for it.
Let's have a look at those comments shall we. States which have decided that the people that voted them into parliament are incapable of voting properly, and that those countries who make their decisions democratically are ruining Europe, when they themselves refuse to let their own population decide.

Next up a bit of football. After the shock win by Liverpool against Milan, and the water sprinklers automatically turning themselves on on the pitch of the german final Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04, there is more in store for those of Mainz 05. There is a chance that they'll be playing in the EUFA cup next season.

Now for those of you who aren't satisfied with the size of your regular burgers, try the ones that Paris Hilton has been advertising...follow the links and see why people are claiming that the advert (video only works in internet explorer) is a bit too graphic for a children's restaurant (and check out the size of that burger!).

After 198 convicts in the state of New York (including men that have molested children as young as 2) have been found to have received viagra free of charge from the state, changes are afoot to not allow them to be given it free any more. Nice to know that those who have done wrong get all the necessaries in life...

Three sisters in the UK have all given birth to a child soon after another. Nothing special about that, but these sisters are of ages 12, 14 and 16. I say no more.

According to the Royal National Institute for the Blind, over 200 thousand people in the UK have gone blind needlessly because they did not go to get their eyes checked frequently enough. Make your appointment now.

And now that Lobelto has gone on to Glasgow from his brief visit from Hamburg to our humble Mainz we're stuck here with the 38 degrees without a breeze in sight, and even less chance of getting any working air conditioning in this city...

Stay Cool

Germany 4 points

Yes, another Eurovision song contest has passed by, but this time with a bit of a shock. The original 'european' countries were there at the bottom of the table, whilst Greece took the show with it's number one place.

Birthday wishes this week go to Elena (C) who celebrated on the 18th.

Australian mothers can feel safer today, as a sniffer dog has been found to no longer find drugs but talcum powder, so no worries about your kid going missing now...

Onto corporate makeovers. Well, this time a university logo change. Yes, the University of Birmingham has decided to make it's logo look like some food packaging. Of course the students have started up a petition...

Ever thought of the consequences of gossiping? Well, the mayor of a small colombian town has, and so has made it illegal to spread unfounded rumours. It might sound stupid, but it does make sense if you think of all the people who get affected by things that were purely made up (just take a look at how many people died after Business Week printed an article claiming that US soldiers had flushed a copy of the koran down the toilet).

Now for those of you looking for a bit of excitement whilst doing your daily chores, beware. After a lady got so aroused whilst out shopping, she lost consciousness and the paramedics were called, where they found her underwear still vibrating...

Stay sound

Mapping with google, and free dutch research

For those of you looking for a bit of fun on the web (no, not that type Jordi!) get on down to google maps and try searching for your local brothel, corrupt politician or whatever takes your fancy. The accuracy of the results is astounding :)

Ever wanted to read through a load of research papers from the Netherlands. Well, now you can, after scientists from all the major research institutions got together and released the info on the web for free. Another step toward Total Information Freedom...

Well, not much else happening around here at the moment. Lobelto is back from Hamburg but went straight off to Spain (can't blame him). And with the weather doing what it does best here, there's no point even going out any more. I think I'll just resign to the fact that there will be no summer in Mainz this year...

What a month !

No sooner had Gema left to go back to Valencia, than the following week I arrived on those sacred shores. A week of sun, sand and friends that was definitely worth waiting for.

Big news like the new german pope and Blair being elected as prime minister for a third time (can't believe it) won't have gone amiss, but a few other titbits will now be mentioned.

The Pope's old car has just been auctioned off on ebay for a sum of 250 thousand dollars. For a '99 VW Golf, that's a pretty good sell :)

For those of you fed up with cheap flights, and wanting something different, try cheap cruises. Going along the french and italian coasts at knock-down prices has never been better with Easycruise (from the same man who brought you Easyjet).

In Texas, cheerleaders better be careful what they sing and wear and how they dance after a new law has been passed to ban "sexually suggestive" cheerleading in schools. "Give me an R, give me an 18"...

On the eve of the elections in the UK, a bomb blast occurs outside it's embassy in New York. Nobody was hurt, but questions are being raised as to who it was...

Everybody knows that google has some great tools out there. In fact, their intentions to digitise all library books has brought with it a lot of controversy in France where they like to keep their information free from america's grasp. Well, proof of Bush's plans for europe have now been revealed on google maps. try maps.google.co.uk and zoom out as far as you can, and you'll see the UK, US and...nothing else.

Ever wondered what the latest secret weapon would be? Well, in Germany people are starting to wonder if terrorists are researching with wildlife, after finding a disease that causes toads to grow to over 3 times their normal size and then explode. So think again before you next crush a snail - it might have a nasty surprise for you.

Well, after the great wedding of Pili in Valencia (and the dancing that went on until 5am) as well as the birthday party of Olga last saturday (birthday on thursday) and the combined leaving party for Bill and flatwarming party of Magda and Manu on thursday, let's hope we get some rest in order to prepare for the coming week...(you can always try this game to help relax)

Work hard...

Back to Winter

I don't want to keep on having to talk about the weather, but what's up with it? No sooner had it started getting warmer, with jackets being left at home, than suddenly it gets back to temperatures around freezing like we had in November !

Anyway, it's not the weather that's the problem in Angola where the Marburg virus (of the Ebola family) has been spreading quickly and causing many deaths across the country. If anyone has read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston they should have an idea of how bad this virus really can be.

To show the real meaning of a 'bilateral agreement', the US has said that it will not extradite soldiers who are wanted in Colombia on drug-smuggling charges. Nice to know all men are made equal...

In a shock move, the European Treaty has been recalled in France to be pulped after the words 'incoherent text' were found at the bottom of a page. Well, at least they're honest about the booklet's contents...

For all those considering the new high-tech security for your car, maybe you should think again after car-jackers in Malaysia got impatient with the fingerprint system of a businessman's S-Class Merc and cut off his finger to allow later access without the owner. I suppose he should be thankful it wasn't an iris scan that the car required...

And for those that are into the 'home-movie' business, Google wants your videos to be put into it's database. No matter how dirty they are (apparently). Get that videocam out now...

Well, after the short visit from Marcela today, and Gemma coming over from Valencia tomorrow (which also happens to be Marilo's birthday), I suppose I should do some tidying up...

Bye for now

Spring

The weather's getting better, the Fallas have come and gone, the clocks have been put forward and april fools day has passed. This can only mean one thing, we're in spring !

Now onto the news.
Carrying on the important scientific research programme, sheep have been found to have best friends. Amongst them, however is unlikely to be the local butcher.

In a move which is bound to have ramifications for Ibiza tourists and Ann Summers saleswomen, California has prosecuted a wheelchair-bound 87 year old man for wanting to fly to the philipines to have sex with young girls. Authorites were alerted to his intentions when they found child pornography, sex aids, sexually explicit letters to the two girls and 45kg of chocolate in his bags. Obviously next time he should try not to go over the weight limit for his luggage with so much chocolate...

In an announcement that will produce a manifold of "I told you so" cries, a biotech company has apparently been selling non-approved genetically modifed seeds for the last four years. Makes you just feel safe, doesn't it...

Striking at the heart of those wife-swappers amongst you, police in Korea have arrested more than 150 people that apparently indulged in such activities. Partners were apparently graded on how much they participated in the group sex videos that they posted online (450 having signed up for "lifetime" membership)...

Following in the footsteps of Richard Branson, a young 18 year old from Oxford has opened up his own airline to fly people between Oxford and Cambridge. No longer do you have to arrive in a "normal" bus, you can arrive in style in your own light aircraft.

Next time you go out walking alone in London, be on the lookout for a great big cat, after a man was attacked by said animal. Zoo experts have been consulted...

After announcing his intention to stand for election in Peru, Fujimori has started his campaign trail by selling a cola drink named "Fuji-Cola" in order to earn enough money for the rest of his campaign. Well, at least there's hope that other big cola manufacturers could put him out of business before he gets too far...

Like a phoenix, from a pet-shop fire that killed 150 other animals, only one turtle survived. This creature, however has an evil side. On it's shell is burnt the image of satan. Just have a look at the picture. What use a turtle would be for world domination, I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out...

For those of you who remember Kylie before she sang, and have ever heard of Jason Donavon, would have the australian soap opera "Neighbours" to thank. Well, this series that every schoolkid in the UK can remember for the famous wedding of the aforementioned two people, has reached it's second decade. Yes, that's right, 20 years of it!! Of course, what's now happening in it I haven't got the foggiest (maybe Des and Daphne returned) but it just goes to show it's still as popular as ever.

Got a new phone? Has it got MMS? want to know what this technology gives you? Well, read this article about what these new fangled camera-phones are actually being used for...

Think the second world war is history? Well, apparently not. An ex-Nazi medic who set himself up in Chile has apparently being forcing women to wear aprons, men to wear lederhosen, the genders to be seperated, and sexually abusing young boys. And all that at the ripe old age of eighty-something. There's no stopping some people...

Being detained isn't the same as it used to be! 108 people in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan have now died. The battlefield within...

And to round up this week's news, it has been found that fish can use their bubbles to communicate. So next time you see a herring letting off a bit off gas, don't give it a hard time, just listen and learn :)

That's it for now

Weather Watch

Those of you in and around Mainz today will have no doubt noticed that the weather's been behaving a bit strange. Strong wind and rain early this morning, followed by a bit of sunshine and blue sky at lunchtime, with an extra dose of a horizontal snowstorm from 2pm !! Seems like a scene out of Notting Hill (the film, not the place).

With so much news, I don't know where to start, so let's get on with something serious.
A Durham boy of 13 has been given life for raping a teacher after a lesson. Taking place at the age of 12, it just doesn't bear thinking what the youngsters of today are capable of (trying not to sound like an old man...).

For the sixth time in three months, a gang of bank robbers have got off with a cash machine, this time using a tractor to smash through the bank's wall. What happened to those horse raids like in the movies, I don't know.

Again a repeated event. For the third time in four months, a brazilian football star's mother has been kidnapped, probably hoping for a large ransom from her famous son. So I suppose one has to be careful what type of trade to go into nowadays.

In another major success against drugs, the colombian government has extradited the former leader of the Cali Cartel to the US to stand trial, after it was persuaded by the evidence collected by the DEA, that he continued his leadership from within prison after his capture (and thus negating his immunity from extradition). This comes soon after a similar case, whereby the Farc rebel 'Sonia' has also been extradited to the US to face drugs charges.

Police in Colombia have now freed (after three days in captivity) Pacho the donkey. He was arrested after apparently causing a traffic accident (not for aiding and abetting his friend 'danny the donkey' who strapped explosives to himself in an attempt to blow up the police, apparently).

How would you feel if whilst reading the morning paper one morning you were to find that the US had performed nuclear tests in your area? Well, that's what the sudanese government had to wake up to, when they saw that on the US Congress website. Fortunately, it was just a typing error. But Sudan is still conducting tests just to make sure.

A chemistry student from the US has managed to defeat the plethora of Microsoft lawyers that went after him when they saw him selling one copy of Windows XP and one copy of Office XP on eBay. Apparently, he bought the software with a large student discount, and when he decided he didn't want it, and Microsoft refused a refund, he put them up for auction on the site. When MS filed a suit against him for this act, he filed a counter-suit, involving the ineptitude of it's staff and decptive practices. Eventually they settled out of court.

If you judge how much people hate a program, by how many viruses have been written to infect it, Internet Explorer has to be one of the most hated out there. And so it would be of no surprise then, that even users of alternative browsers (such as the very good Mozilla Firefox) can now visit a malware site that infects IE. Yes that's right, you don't even have to be using it to get riddled with malware. Whatever next.

Forget all those researchers that found cows feel emotions, and sheep remember faces. This one takes the biscuit. A scientist from the Netherlands has found a duck who likes to get it on with another male duck. Fine, you might say, we've already found homosexual sheep, that's not new. The fact that the duck was already dead though, adds a new twist. Yes, we have a necrophilic gay duck.

Well, I'm sure you have enough to talk about now, whilst entertaining some friends at dinner, so I'll leave it there then.

Wrap up well

Stop Sending Me Unsolicited Messages

I am not one known for his emotional outbursts, nor do I normally detest something so much that I feel I have to write about it here. However, recent events have caused me to change my ways, which is what I wanted to talk about now.

It all started about a month ago when out of nowhere I received an invitation from a "friend" to join a mobile friends network. I thought nothing much of it, I had previously seen so-called "friends networks" and read reviews on them (which were generally positive, I might add).
However, I was sceptical about letting my details be published in a big database that other people could search, especially with the huge rise in identity theft (apparently 1 in 4 people know someone who has had their identity stolen - either for financial purposes, or for other criminal activities where the only lead goes back to you).

So I left it initially, deciding to deal with it at a later date. Well, a week later I received another email purporting to come from the same person, telling me to sign up. Suddenly I got bombarded by these emails, this time coming from different people I knew to varying degrees (some I hadn't seen for years). So before wanting to reply to any of these (and to tell the people to stop sending me them), I decided to do a bit of online investigation (which I find myself doing way too often).

So, I went to google (go on, try it yourself, read the customers views) and searched for the company sms.ac (where the emails were coming from) and it came up with over 102,000 sites. The first one naturally being for the official site itself, but ALL the others being negative reports of people having signed up, giving in their hotmail details (including passwords!!!) and then, without their knowledge, everybody in their address books gets sent an invitation email to join up to this "mobile friends network". And if the recipients don't reply, or even if they click on the link to reject further participation, they keep on receiving the invitations.

And that's not all. In giving your mobile number to them, "premium" SMSs can be sent to you, the cost of which being added to your phone bill. I have found reports from people in the UK, France, USA, South Africa in the googled sites, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are lots more countries to add to this list (I didn't want to spend the whole weekend reading the complaints from people who had signed up - depression isn't my thing).

So, what should you do? Firstly, I would send an email to the person who "invited" you (to their proper email address, not the one where the invitation comes from) asking them if they wanted to send you the invitation. Tell them what's happening, how many emails from them you have in your inbox, and let them decide if that's how they want to treat their friends (because everyone in their address book will have received the same).

If you have signed up, check your mobile bill straight away. Any premium texts on there? How much? Take this up with your network provider - I'm sure they'll be interested to know about companies that are using their networks to send unsolicitated messages, and charging for them.

Terminate your SMS.ac account. Make sure you delete any login information you have saved in your account area, and then close down the online service linked to your mobile number.

There are plenty of organisations around the world that are there to protect the consumer. Find out which one is relevant in your country and take the matter up with them. There are also many laws that protect you (European, US SPAM email and SMS laws). Use them.

As for me, I've now set my SPAM filter to block any more of these "invitations" to at least have some piece and quiet in my inbox again. I just hope my friends take this advice, because otherwise they will be going "mobile" somewhere else.

Surf Safe