Nshima & Curry

Column: Fold your arms and solve your problems

If you're having trouble solving a math problem or beating someone in chess or checkers, perhaps you should stop scratching your head. That really doesn't help you think clearer or make you look confident, though I suppose it's a little better than scratching yourself elsewhere. (I'm not an expert on scratching, though as a man I've done a fair bit of it in my lifetime.)

The best thing you can do, in terms of posture, is fold your arms. A new study has found that just by folding (or crossing) your arms, you'll have more perseverance and a greater desire to succeed. Yes, it's true. Researchers found that university students who folded their arms were more successful and persistent at solving anagrams than students who kept their hands on their thighs. I don't know about you, but I'm going to start folding my arms as much as I can. I want to be successful not just in solving problems, but also in other activities:

--- "Of course I'm in the mood, honey. Do you think we can do it with our arms folded?"

--- "I didn't mean to swerve, officer. My mouth slipped."

--- "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Gupta. Do you mind if we shake feet?"

The researchers, including Ron Friedman of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, got the idea of studying arm-folding while watching former pro basketball coach Pat Riley, who would even go to the men's room with his arms folded. Friedman wondered if Riley was gaining some kind of competitive edge from his posture. It's amazing how the mind of a scientist works. I've watched Riley and his folded arms many times and my reaction was always the same: "Give the man a blanket -- he's feeling cold."

Is history on Hillary Clinton's side?

Hillary Clinton trounced Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary, but it didn't do much for her chances of winning the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Even so, Clinton hasn't given up. She's trying her best to convince superdelegates that she's the one who can beat John McCain in November.

Her campaign argues that she can catch Obama in the popular vote by turning out the vote in the remaining five contests.

Clinton has also continued to tout her electability, saying she's more fit to go up against Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, in November.

"I'm winning Catholic voters and Hispanic voters and blue-collar workers and seniors, the kind of people that Sen. McCain will be fighting for in the general election," Clinton said earlier.

Reiterating a point she has made frequently while campaigning in West Virginia, Clinton pointed out Tuesday that no Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without winning West Virginia. [Link]

We can add that to our list of historical trivia. Perhaps Clinton should mention a few others:

No Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without being able to pee standing up.

No Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without shaving every day.

No Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without having a spouse who was once pregnant.

I like Hillary Clinton. But to trot out historical trivia during an unprecedented nomination race between a Kenyan-American man and a white woman is really grasping at straws.

Be smart -- buckle up

You know that strap that hangs at the side of your car seat? It's called a seat belt. Please wear it. Do it for me, do it for your loved ones.

My father died when he was 40 and I was 8, all because he thought that strap in his Peugeot was some kind of decoration. He was ejected from his car on a rural road in Zambia. Back then, seat belt safety messages were rare or non-existent. These days, everyone's been told the importance of wearing seat belts, yet so many people don't bother. Take, for example, the backseat passengers in last weekend's terrible accident in Pennsylvania.

The lone survivor from a van in the weekend accident that claimed the lives of six people was wearing a seat belt -- and that could be the reason he's alive today, Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said.

Seven Michigan residents, including 28-year-old Nitin Gupta, were traveling in a minivan through Erie County on their way to Niagara Falls on Saturday afternoon when the van crossed a grass median on Interstate 90 and struck an oncoming car.

Six of the seven were killed on impact. Gupta, the lone survivor in the van, was the only passenger wearing a seat belt.

Driver Kaushik Deb also was wearing a seat belt, but was crushed in the wreckage, Cook said.

"I don't know how much of a difference seat belts would have made to the other passengers due to the damage of the vehicle," Cook said. "But this is proof positive that the use of seat belts and restraints certainly increases your chances of surviving a crash of any kind." [Link]

[More on the accident here. NOTE: Donations for the families of those killed in the crash may be sent to Syntel Accident Fund, 525 E. Big Beaver Toad, Suite 300, Troy, MI 48032.]

I wrote a column about the importance of seat belts several years ago, after the tragic death of  NFL  linebacker Derrick Thomas.

Three years ago, when Princess Diana was killed in a car accident, I thought it would teach people the importance of seat belts. But I must have been sniffing glue.
 
People have all kinds of reasons for not wearing seat belts. Some don’t like seat-belt laws. They don’t like the government telling them what to do, even if it’s for their own good. If the government made sex a requirement, they’d give it up. At least for a day or two.
 
Some cite the rare times when a seat belt has actually injured people in an accident. That’s like giving up using toilets because every now and then a snake slithers out of one.
 
Some are just too lazy to wear a seat belt. They have enough trouble dialing their cell phones.
 
A few years ago, I was surprised to see a friend speeding without wearing a seat belt. I thought, "Hey buddy, don’t be in such a hurry to meet your maker. Your wife and children need you. Who else is going to change their lightbulbs?"
 
I always wear a seat belt. I’m enjoying my life too much to take any chances with it.

Photo by Whatsername

A gift you can flush

Of all the wedding gifts a couple receives, there are always a few they’d like to flush down the toilet. A growing number of couples in India are flushing their gifts, but not to get rid of them.

PUNE: What qualifies as the perfect marriage gift? Jewellery, dress, diamonds or a luxurious car? None of the above, feels Savitri Mane, who has decided to give her niece the most 'precious' gift of all — a portable toilet.

Katraj-resident Savitri's niece Raksha is marrying a youth from Bhor this week. When Raksha's parents noticed that the groom's house does not have a toilet, they decided to gift the bride one.

"It has become a trend nowadays to buy portable toilets as gifts. The demand is on the rise this season. Parents, whose daughters are marrying rural youths, have added a portable toilet to their list of gifts offered to the groom," said Ramdas Mane of Mane Industries in Bhosari. His firm has received orders for more than 1,000 toilets in the past few days. "Already, we have provided 2,500 toilets in 200 villages in Pune, Satara and Kolhapur," he said. [Link]

I'm not sure what a "portable toilet" is, but I presume it's one that can be carried easily, one that doesn't take much effort to gift wrap.

Excited bride (unwrapping gift): "A toilet! We got a toilet!"

Groom: "Why are you surprised? Didn't you put it on the bridal registry?"

"Basically, girls from urban areas are not willing to marry into rural families. A girl from the police lines in Pune was married in Sangli and had to suffer a lot because there was no toilet facility," said Pratima Joshi of Shelter Associates. She added that city girls make sure that these basic amenities are available in their in-laws' houses before getting married.

"When my uncle asked about the marriage gift, I suggested a portable toilet. As a new bride I would not be in a position to ask my in-laws to construct a toilet at their place. So, while leaving Pune, I will carry my toilet," said Ekta Tare, who is getting married to a youth from Khatav in Satara. [Link]

It’s a great wedding gift, one that both husband and wife can use for many years to come, as long as their marriage doesn’t go down the … uh … toilet.

Where's the beef? Not on British Airways

The national dish of Britain is no longer being served on the national airline, at least not in the economy class.

British Airways has taken beef off the menu for economy passengers amid concerns about its "religious restrictions".

The airline has instead switched to a fish pie or chicken dish option for the so-called "cattle class" passengers.

BA's second-biggest long-haul market is to India, where the majority Hindu population do not eat beef because of their beliefs.

The decision to scrap the nation's favourite fare was described as a "great shame" by the English Beef and Lamb Executive, formerly part of the Meat and Livestock Commission.

A spokesman said: "It is regrettable that Britain's flag carrier is not proposing to serve Britain's national dish. ...

A BA spokesman said they stopped serving beef to economy class passengers last month.

He added: "We can only serve two options and beef and pork obviously have religious restrictions.

"We have to try to use two meals which appeal to as many customers as possible. This summer season we are offering customers in World Traveller on most longhaul flights a choice of chicken and tarragon or fish pie. [Link]

Flight attendant: "Would you like chicken or fish, sir?"

Male passenger: "Do you have any beef?"

Flight attendant: "No, not anymore."

Passenger: "Not anymore? What d'ya mean? It's our national dish!"

Flight attendant (whispering): "A lot of people don't eat beef, sir."

Passenger: "It's those darn Hindus, innit? They're the ones who don't eat beef!"

Flight attendant (whispering): "Keep your voice down, sir. There are a lot of ... uh ... Hindus on board."

Hindu passenger sitting nearby: "Yes, keep your voice down, sir. Otherwise we'll complain about the chicken and fish, and, the next time you fly, you'll be eating curd rice and pickle."

The heroic journey of Ramesh Ferris

Twenty years ago, in the summer of 1988, I drove across America with my friend and future brother-in-law Santosh. We traveled from Delaware to California in about four days, making as few stops as possible. I remember feeling like we had accomplished something, like we had passed some kind of endurance test. It takes a lot of effort, after all, to put your foot on the gas pedal.

Our cross-country trip was a breeze compared to the one Ramesh Ferris is taking. Ramesh, a polio survivor, is hand-cycling across Canada to raise money (and awareness) to fight the disease. He began his 7,200-km journey in Victoria, BC, on April 12 -- the 53rd anniversary of the release of Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine -- and expects to complete it in six months. Accompanied by a support team of about five people, he is trying to cover 400 km every 10 days on his 27-speed hand cycle. That's 40 km a day, using mainly his arms to power his cycle forward. I don't know about you, but after about 10 km, I'd be sticking my thumb out at passing motorists.

I'm not sure if Ramesh is the first polio survivor to hand-cycle across Canada, but he's definitely the first blogging polio survivor to do so.

Yup, it’s truly spring now – I can smell it in the air. It’s a package deal though, complete with all the mucky dirt on the shoulders of the road.  Because of a short rain today I was covered in dirt from my face, head, back, chest, legs and toes.  Add to that all of the chain grease that accumulates on my jersey every day as I cycle, and you can imagine that I was feeling pretty gross by the end of the day.

This morning we reached Obed Summit, which is the highest point on the Yellowhead Highway, 1163.9 m above sea level. I thought it was all downhill after that, but to my surprise, there was steep hill after steep hill for the next few hours. [Link]

Ramesh is going to love it when he gets to the prairies, the flat provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The only time he'll need to go uphill is when he's climbing out of a pothole.

As I reflect back on today I got extremely dirty cycling down the Yellowhead, but it’s important to remember that the dirt comes off. In our world we have a culture of crawlers: children, teenagers and adults that have had their legs paralyzed for life because they did not receive the polio vaccine that would have protected them for life. In the lives of these crawlers they are almost always dirty, because many of them depend on cut up pieces of tires for their knees, and sandals on their hands to drag them through the streets of where they live. Awareness is important, but it’s donations that will help polio victims around our world walk. It’s donations that will provide those drops of the polio vaccine to children around the world to protect them for life.

This is why I’m cycling to walk.  Please donate or sponsor today. [Link]

He's doing the hard part. With just a few clicks, we can do the easy part.

Column: Guidelines for travelers entering America

A U.S. Appeals Court has ruled that airport officials do not need "reasonable suspicion" to download data from a traveler's laptop or personal electronic storage device and keep it indefinitely. Coincidentally, the Department of Homeland Security has issued new guidelines for people entering America by air:

1. By entering the United States, you give us the unqualified legal right to search all your belongings. This includes all items you are bringing to the United States, as well as items you have left behind. Be prepared to provide your home address, a set of keys and a copy of directions from Google maps.

2. By entering the United States, you give us the unqualified legal right to search your body and your clothing, together or apart.

You may be asked to remove any head covering, including but not limited to: (a) skullcaps; (b) turbans; and (c) toupees.

You may be asked to remove any body covering, including but not limited to: (a) shirts; (b) dresses; and (c) plaster casts.

You may be asked to remove items attached to your head or body, including but not limited to: (a) false teeth; (b) nose rings; and (c) cell phones.

3. By entering the United States, you give us the unqualified legal right to use various means to detect explosives, drugs or other illegal substances that you may be carrying or have recently consumed.

You may be subject to an X-ray of various body parts, including but not limited to: (a) your stomach; (b) your brain; and (c) your implants.

You may be subject to a thorough and intense dog sniffing. The sniffing may be directed toward but is not limited to: (a) your luggage; (b) your hand baggage; (c) your backside.

If you are afraid of dogs, you have the option of being sniffed by a lion.

You may also be asked to provide samples of fluids for testing, including but not limited to: (a) saliva; (b) urine; and (c) sweat. (The sweat will be collected during the interrogation.)

The creative kids who make wire cars

My kids were watching Sesame Street this morning and I caught a segment called Global Grover, in which the blue monster traveled to South Africa to find out how children make wire cars. It triggered a flood of memories of my childhood in Zambia. We didn't have lots of toys, but somehow managed to have lots of fun, using our creativity and imagination. Some children were adept at making wire cars. I could never make one. I wasn't particularly good with my hands, except when it came to fighting with my sister. I wasn't as talented as 11-year-old Taurai Moyo of Chivamba, Zimbabwe, who was featured in Highlights magazine.

When he was about five years old, Taurai visited his cousin in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, and learned to make wire cars. At eight, he was one of the best wire-car makers in his class. Today, he is the best at his school.

Taurai did not keep the skill of making wire cars all to himself. Many of his friends, like twelve-year-old Chenjerai, a talented wire-car maker, were once his students. According to Chenjerai, “What you need are the basic skills of shaping and straightening the wires, but first you have to observe how someone skilled, like Taurai, does it.” [Link]

Observing doesn't always work. I tried observing talented wire-car makers, but my creations always ended up looking like this. Making a good wire car isn't easy. Not only does your car have to move smoothly, it also has to look good. How else are you supposed to impress the young ladies?

Most of the boys can “drive” their cars anywhere they go—to school, church, and shops. Some wire cars are strong enough to carry parcels weighing up to two pounds.

Wire cars are driven on gravel roads or narrow paths littered with stones and covered with grass. Although you don’t need a license to drive a wire car, Taurai warns that “You need to be careful, just like someone driving a real car. If you are not, you may bump into a stone, and suddenly the whole car becomes a wreck.” [Link]

What do you do if your wire car is involved in an accident? You tow it to the wire-car garage, of course. And then you call your wire-car insurance agent.

Just like real cars, wire cars sometimes need repairs. The most troublesome parts are the wheels, which need to be regularly straightened to maintain balance. Other repairs include tightening up the wires that are fastened together.

Taurai has his own garage, where he makes and repairs his cars. He also repairs his friends’ cars that are involved in road accidents. These cars are usually complete wrecks, but they are not thrown away. The wires are unattached, straightened, and used to make a whole new car. [Link]

What do you do if you don't have enough money to pay the wire-car garage? You have it wired to you, of course.

I miss playing with wire cars. I wish my son would play with one. Unfortunately too many kids these days have gone wireless.

Marrying for a green card? Don't use Craigslist

How often does someone marry an American to get a green card? Well, about as often as George W. Bush says, "Uh..." But most people go about it fairly discreetly. They profess their undying love to an unsuspecting American or, if they're really desperate, wave hundred dollar notes in front of his/her face at a nightclub. What they don't do is place an ad on Craigslist, as a Russian woman, Yuliya Mikhailovna Kalinina, did.

In late 2005 and early 2006, Kalinina allegedly posted eight advertisements on Craigslist saying she wanted to marry a U.S. citizen solely to obtain permanent resident status, according to federal prosecutors.

Kalinina offered her would-be husbands up to $15,000, prosecutors said. The ads purportedly read: "Green Card Marriage -- Will pay $300/month Total: $15,000" and "This is strictly platonic business offer, sex not involved. NOT required to live together." [Link]

Did she really need to advertise on Craigslist? Couldn't she have just picked up a guy on a downtown street corner? It would have a lot of cheaper. Most guys hanging out on the street corner would marry you for as little as one beer a day. They might not even complain about the "sex not involved" part.

Of course, by advertising online, Kalinina attracted a more refined man. His name was Benjamin Claude Adams and he thought he had won his version of the green card lottery.

Adams responded to Kalinina's advertisements in January 2006 and agreed to enter into the sham marriage, prosecutors said.

One month later, the pair were married in a ceremony performed by Kalinina's live-in boyfriend, Dmitri Chavkerov, an Internet-ordained minister, prosecutors said. Later, Kalinina allegedly leased a new Ford Mustang for Adams. [Link]

Oh, I see what happened: She married him for a green card. He married her for a green car.

I also know what Dmitri was thinking when he agreed to perform the ceremony: "She marry him. She get green card. I marry her. I get green card."

Alas, the plan failed and poor Kalinina and Adams have been sentenced to prison terms of four months and two months respectively.

Kalinina, who faced up to five years in federal prison, could be deported after she is released because she is a convicted felon. [Link]

Don't be surprised if she places another ad on Craigslist: "Green Card Marriage -- Money not involved, just lots of sex. 300 times/month Total: 15,000."

Photo by Elke Sisco

Description for the sake of description

Aspiring reporters are often taught to put lots of description in their articles. "Description can help bring a subject to life," the journalism professor says. But not all subjects can be brought to life, not even with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

In the case of the Brampton, Ontario, double-homicide today, in which a man allegedly stabbed his wife and a Good Samaritan, the description that a Globe & Mail reporter decided to include served no purpose whatsoever, except perhaps to let everyone know that the reporter was wide awake in journalism class -- and probably sitting in the front row too.

Both the woman and the Good Samaritan died at the plaza, which was quickly flooded with police cruisers and emergency vehicles and cordoned off with yellow tape.

Two hours later, their bodies were still on the ground, covered by a yellow tarpaulin.

No names were immediately released.

Habiba Syed, who works at the nearby Bestway Food Market, witnessed part of yesterday's violence and recounted seeing a man try to stab himself in the neck with a bloody knife before slumping to the ground, shouting, ‘My wife is dead. my wife is dead.'

Pizza maker Amarik Mangar also saw some of the fight and described the slain woman as heavy-set. [Link]

Do we really care whether she was heavy-set, medium-set or light-set? Nope, not unless her weight had something to do with her death:

--- Pizza maker Amarik Mangar described the woman as heavy-set and said her last words were, "I don't care what you say, I'm not going on a diet!'

--- Pizza maker Amarik Mangar described the woman as heavy-set and said she was unable to run away from her husband.

--- Pizza maker Amarik Mangar described the woman as heavy-set and said she had just bought a large pizza at his store and refused to share any of it with her husband.

Perhaps the reporter should have tried to be a little balanced in his description:

--- Pizza maker Amarik Mangar described the woman as heavy-set, her husband as big-bellied, the Good Samaritan as rotund and himself as well-toned.

Or better yet:

--- Pizza maker Amarik Mangar described the woman as heavy-set, her husband as big-bellied, the Good Samaritan as rotund, himself as well-toned, and the Globe & Mail reporter as a horse's behind.

Photo by Peter Rukavina

Column: Nothing nice about rice price

Rice is extremely popular in our household -- and I'm not talking about Condoleezza. I'm talking about the type of rice that looks warm and elegant at a dinner party.

My wife cooks rice almost every day. And when she isn't cooking rice, she's often making something out of rice, such as dosa and idli. She practically survives on rice. That's why I'm concerned about the rising price of rice, even more than the rising price of gas. I need gas to run my car, it's true, but I need rice to run my wife. Sure, she might operate on wheat or corn for a few weeks. But eventually I'd have to take her to the people mechanic.

Me: "She's been very sluggish lately, ever since I started filling her up with wheat and corn."

Doctor: "You're an idiot! Don't you know that she's got a rice engine?"

Me: "A rice engine?"

Doctor: "Yes, she's highly adapted to using rice as an energy source. Putting wheat and corn in her is like putting beer in your car. Only an idiot would do that."

Me: "Yeah, that's true. Lemonade is cheaper. Will she be all right? Is there any permanent damage?"

Doctor: "I'm not sure. Put her on the jack. I'll take a look under her."

Billions of other people share my wife's affinity for rice -- and that's just in India and China. Many people in Asia eat rice (or a rice product) three times a day. For them, it's not just a staple -- it's the entire stapler.

Snow, not-so-beautiful snow!

No, I didn't take this photo a couple of months ago in the midst of winter.  I took it this morning, from the front of our home in Winnipeg. Yes, it's April 24 and we're supposed to be a month into spring. But someone forgot to tell Mother Nature, who decided to give us a few centimeters of snow overnight, along with freezing rain. This might be a good time to revisit a column I wrote several years ago.

BURNING UP ABOUT COLD WEATHER

If you live in a part of the world that's warm all year,
that never gets snow and ice, that allows you to wear shorts
and sandals whenever you please, there's something I'd like
to say to you: I hate you.
 
Well, perhaps 'hate' is too strong a word. How about
'despise'? Yes, that's more like it. That captures exactly
how I feel about you at this moment, in the dead of winter,
when there's tons of snow outside my home and I can't even
visit the mailbox without having to spend the next three
hours defrosting my brain. But I really shouldn't complain:
It used to take much longer -- before I owned a microwave.
 
From November to March April every year, I can't help envying
people who are blessed with tropical weather, people who are
like my neighbor's cat -- always in heat. Unlike me, these
lucky people never have to scrape snow and ice off their
windshields, off their driveways, off their mustaches.
 
Every winter, I can't help asking a question that
environmentalists, for some strange reason, don't like to
hear: Is there any way to speed up global warming? [Read the Rest]

 

Still available: GoogleLovesBush.com and a few other domain names

A Maryland man recently sold the domain name Pizza.com for $2.6 million. He had bought the name in 1994. Those were the days when almost every one-word domain name was available, if only some of us were not busy drooling over our stock in Yugo. These days, if you want a one-word domain name that won't cost a fortune, you'll have to either pick a name in another language, such as Nshima.com, or choose a different suffix, such as .us and .ca. But even those names are going fast.

Internic.ca, Canada's first .CA registrar, is pleased to be the registrar of choice for the one millionth .CA domain name registration. Brent Krause from Calgary, Alberta, registered the landmark .CA domain name, KrausLaw.ca, to promote his private law practice. [Link]

One million .ca domain names! That means you can forget about registering Afri.ca, Ameri.ca and Eroti.ca. Sorry Bill Clinton, Moni.ca is also taken.

Even the two-word and three-word domain names are being scooped up faster than discounted mangoes at Patel Brothers. Google itself has registered thousands of domain names, including the following: GmailBlows.com, GmailSucks.com, GoogleSucks.com, GoogleFools.com and GooglePoo.com. It's not surprising that the company is trying to keep people from demeaning Google with their domain names. What's surprising is that they haven't yet registered GoogleLovesBush.com, GoogleWearsFur.com and GoogleSmokesPot.com.

What's also surprising -- and a little scary -- is that they've registered GoogleReligion.com and GoogleFaith.com. It's not enough that they're taking over the world -- they want us to worship them too. Somewhere in the world, in the not-so-distant future, a family will kneel in front of their computer, praying to Lord Google, the God of All Search Engines.

In case you're wondering, LordGoogle.com is already taken.

Outsourced jobs that make you smoke and drink

Many call-center workers in India serve customers in America and are expected to speak with American accents. That's not a big problem. But once they start talking like Americans, they soon find themselves eating, drinking and gaining weight like Americans. Some of them wake up to find tattoos on their bodies, blonde hair on their heads and guns under their beds. Well, perhaps not all of that is happening. But some of it definitely is, as Laurie Goering writes in the Chicago Tribune.

Indians may have taken over three-quarters of the world's call-center jobs, but they've also taken on the stresses of those jobs: weight gain, depression, boredom and, often, relationship troubles.

Worse, for the legions in India busy helping Americans reboot their hard drives or refinance their mortgages, the problems are often more severe, both because of cultural differences and because the work, by virtue of time differences with the U.S., largely takes place at night.

"There are a lot of pressures on people. The jobs are very stressful and not very creative," said Karuna Baskar, a director of 1to1help.net, a Bangalore-based counseling service that was contracted by 27 mainly information technology and call-center offices in India to work with troubled employees.

As more and more Indians spend their nights drinking too many colas, trying to sound like Americans and dealing with impatient clients on the other end of the phone line, "it's very clearly showing up in health problems and also tiredness and irritability," Baskar said. "At work and with their families, they're more irritable than they should be, and that's affecting their relationships." [Link]

Yes, many young Indians are becoming more irritable. Meanwhile, the young Americans who used to have those call-center jobs are becoming very polite. They're always saying "please" and "thank you," as in "Please may I have my job back" and "Thank you for considering my application."

Other call-center workers end up packing on weight when they trade home-cooked meals with family, still a staple in India, for a diet of fast food, often the only thing available when they arrive home looking for dinner at 3 a.m. or breakfast at 8 p.m. [Link]

Meanwhile, the young Americans who used to have those call-center jobs are eating more home-cooked meals, having moved back in with Mom and Dad. They've got more time to exercise, more time to mow the lawn and wash the car.

In India, drinking, smoking and drug use are still relatively rare, especially among women. But call-center workers are taking up the habits with disturbing zeal, researchers say, either to cope with stress or to project an air of hip modernity.

A study last year in the Indian Journal of Sleep Medicine found that 40 percent of call-center workers surveyed smoked, compared with 7 percent of a control group, and 36 percent had more than two alcoholic drinks a week, against 2 percent of the control group. [Link]

Meanwhile, the young Americans who used to have those call-center jobs have given up smoking. It's too expensive. They've also stopped drinking, aside from an occasional swig, whenever Dad forgets to lock the liquor cabinet.

Photo by dgrobinson

How to end the Kenyan domination

When it comes to marathons, there are seemingly two classes of runners: (1) Kenyans and (2) everyone else. The Kenyans usually beat everyone else. Actually, "beat" is inaccurate. How about "trounce"?  Well, that's not accurate either. How about "crush"?

How dominant have they been? The Boston Globe offers some clues, noting that Kenyans have won all but four Boston Marathons since Ibrahim Hussein's victory in 1988. In recent years, they've owned all five World Marathon Majors.

Since 2000, Kenyans have claimed Boston, Berlin, and Chicago six times apiece, London and New York four. "It's one of the most impressive streaks in sports we've ever seen," says New York race director Mary Wittenberg. [Link]

They've been especially dominant at the Boston Marathon largely because the race's organizers believe in inviting the best runners from around the world, no matter their country of origin. And invariably, many of them are Kenyan. In last year's world rankings, 68 of the top 100 marathoners were Kenyan, and seven of them finished in the top ten at Boston.

If Boston's elite field seems lopsided with Kenyans, that isn't a problem for the BAA. "I've heard comments over the years that it'd be nice to have an American win again," says Morse. "But we've always subscribed to the view that we should invite the best to be here, wherever they're from. I don't think it's a negative that the Kenyans have continued to dominate." [Link]

No, it's not a negative. But we really should give the non-Kenyans a fighting chance. I propose that we change the rules slightly:

1. All participants must run 26 miles. Kenyans must run all of them backwards.

2. All participants must wear running shoes. Kenyans must also wear ankle weights.

3. All participants must sign an injury waiver. Kenyans must also sign autographs along the route.

4. All participants may refresh themselves at the water stations. Kenyans must also stop at the Starbucks coffee station.

5. All participants must pass a drug test. Kenyans must also pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).

I know what you're thinking: The Kenyans would still win.

Photo by Stuart Atkins

Come on, China: Free Nepal!

Stephen Hadley, President Bush's National Security Adviser, recently appeared on ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos and was asked about Tibet and the intention of some countries to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in China. Here's what he said, according to a transcript on Huffington Post (via SAJAForum):

"If countries are really concerned about Nepal, we shouldn't have this sort of non-issue of opening ceremonies or not. They should do the hard work of quiet diplomacy to urge the Chinese government -- in their interest -- to take advantage of this opportunity to do something," Hadley said. [Link]

Did he say 'Nepal'? He must have just misspoken.

He went on, "The way to deal with the issue of Nepal is not by some -- a statement that you're not going to the opening ceremonies and say, therefore, I checked the Nepal box." [Link]

Did he say it again? Well, Tibet and Nepal are next to each other, so it's easy to get them mixed up -- just as millions of people around the world get America and Mexico mixed up.

And it didn't end there. "What he's doing on Nepal is what we think the international community ought to be doing, which is approaching the Chinese privately through diplomatic channels and sending a very firm message of concern for human rights, a concern for what's happening in Nepal ... ." [Link]

He said 'Nepal' two more times! Didn't Stephanunscrupulous correct him? Nope, apparently not. Perhaps he thought 'Nepal' and 'Tibet' are one and the same, too.

It's one thing when Bush messes up. We're used to that. But this is the guy who advises Bush, the guy who's supposed to set him straight.

Makes you wonder what other countries have been mixed up, doesn't it?

Bush: "I just followed your advice, Stephen. I just ordered an invasion of Iraq to protect America from WMDs."

Hadley: "Iraq? I thought I said Iran."

Bush: "No, you definitely said Iraq. You said it five times. It's in the minutes of our meeting."

Hadley: "Well, I believe Iran is a bigger threat to our security."

Bush: "Are you sure you mean Iran?"

Hadley: "Well, I'll have to check the intelligence reports again, but I'm sure it's a country beginning with 'I'."

Bush: "You idiot! Don't tell me we were supposed to invade India!"

She's got a crush on Mush

Many of his people detest him; many of them love him. Pervez Musharraf is no different from George W. Bush in that respect. But do any beauty pageant winners have a crush on Bush? I'm not sure. Perhaps Miss Crawford, Texas, does. Mush, on the other hand, is receiving a lot of love from a major league beauty.

Reigning Miss Pakistan World Mahleej Sarkari found time last week to write a post on Musharraf on the pageant's website.

"A little note to the people of Pakistan. Going to international pageants we have found out how much Musharraf is known to all beautiful young girls, the beauty queens. Some have replied, 'Oh yes, the general man (sic)'. While others have said 'the man who rules Pakistan'," wrote Sarkari.

"Everything positive... I think personally Musharraf Sahab is very good-looking. Some Pakistani politicians may not agree with these gorgeous women.

"You know like Benazir, all men around the world thought she was a beauty, similarly Musharraf is a hunk. He has enough charisma to have young girls going nuts," goes the beauty queen's post. [Link]

A hunk? So that's why Condoleezza Rice wanted him to take off his uniform. I never realized that Mush could make young girls go nuts. I thought it was only the imams who went nuts.

As a heterosexual male, I can't always tell which men are attractive. I know Brad Pitt and Hrithik Roshan are handsome, but I just don't know why so many women go crazy over Harrison Ford and Matthew Perry. And now I'm even more puzzled about Mush. Is he really a hunk? And if so, do millions of young Pakistani girls go to bed gazing longingly at his picture on their walls? Do their knees get weak whenever they see the dictator/stud muffin on TV?

Column: Beijing Olympics trigger protests, boycotts and name-calling

The 2008 Beijing Olympics have put the spotlight on China, bringing attention to the conflict in Tibet and all the human rights abuses. Protesters disrupted Olympic torch relays in San Francisco and other western cities, many of them holding signs with stern messages for China such as “Free Tibet!” “Stop human rights abuses!” and “Give us cheaper TVs now!”

Indian soccer star Bhaichung Bhutia declined to run with the torch as "my way of standing by the people of Tibet," while actor Aamir Khan vowed to run with the torch "not in support of China" but "with a prayer in my heart for the people of Tibet."

Inspired by Khan, long jumper Anju Bobby George announced that she will protest China's human rights abuses by participating in the Beijing Olympics. "I am participating in the Olympics not in support of China," she said, "but with a prayer in my heart for the people of Tibet."

She pledged to lie on the ground before every jump, extending her legs outward to form a ‘T.’ “It may look like I’m stretching,” she said. “But I’m showing my support for Tibet.”

Just a day before the torch relay in India, cricket star Sachin Tendulkar pulled out of the event, saying that he had a groin injury. It's believed that he suffered the injury while running away from Tibetan activists.

Indian officials were so worried about protests that they drastically shortened the route of the torch relay, asking Khan to run with it from his bedroom to living room. He handed the torch to tennis star Leander Paes, who took it all the way to the kitchen. Other celebrities then did mini-runs from one appliance to another.

The video was doctored for Chinese television to show Khan and Paes running in front of the Taj Mahal, cheered on by thousands of people, including Mahatma Gandhi.

Groping on the train -- again and again and again

Groping is a common problem on buses and trains, especially when men and women are crammed together. In Japan, "two-thirds of female riders in their twenties and thirties reported that they had been groped on trains, and the majority had been victimized frequently." In some countries, including Japan, India and Mexico, authorities have tried to address the problem on trains by introducing "women-only"  passenger cars. It's a good solution, especially if you don't mind having other women grope you. (I'm sure it happens, though not as frequently as male-on-female groping.)

How serious a crime is it? Well, if you're a victim of groping, you probably think it's fairly serious. I'd hate to have some guy rubbing himself against me or touching my butt. (And I'd also be reluctant to snap the ball in American football.)

If you're a perpetrator, you probably think it's a fairly harmless crime. All you're doing is touching or rubbing against someone, which is almost unavoidable during rush hour. Like Freddie Johnson, you want to keep doing it.

About two weeks after he was released from prison, Freddie Johnson boarded a crowded subway train during morning rush hour in Manhattan, squeezed in behind a woman and ground his pelvis into her backside, authorities said.

It is a fairly common crime on subways in New York. But this was no common criminal.

Johnson has been arrested a staggering 53 times — the majority for groping women on the subway, police and prosecutors said.

In the latest incident, Johnson was being followed by plainclothes officers who recognized him from police photos, authorities said. He was charged with persistent sexual abuse, and if convicted this time, he could be sent away for life. The district attorney's office branded him a "recidivist transit grinder" at a court hearing earlier this week. [Link]

A recidivist transit grinder? Isn't that the guy at the Starbucks in the subway? He certainly does a lot of grinding. Johnson's grinding is worse of course, because nobody wants to pay $9.95 for it.

The subway sicko with a 57-page rap sheet brazenly claimed Sunday that pretty women should expect to get groped on trains.

"When there's this many attractive women in the city and on the subways, don't they know [this will happen]?" asked Freddie Johnson in a disturbing jailhouse interview with the Daily News. [Link]

Yeah, it's your fault, ladies. Stop being so darn attractive. Next time you travel, wear a temporary wart on your nose and stick a few hairs on your chin. And watch out for that blind grinder.

Around half of all so-called exhibitionists like Johnson are repeat offenders, experts say. Exhibitionists have the highest rate of re-offense of all sex crimes, but there isn't much crossover into more egregious acts like rape or assault, said Elizabeth Jeglic, a professor of treatment and rehabilitation of offenders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"Exhibitionism is disturbing, but in the larger scheme you want to commit the people who are grabbing kids off the street, or the rapist in Central Park," Jeglic said. [Link]

Yeah, it's definitely not as serious as child abduction or rape, even if we'd all like Johnson to keep his, uh, johnson to himself.

He certainly doesn't deserve life imprisonment, though dropping the soap in the prison bathroom may teach him a lesson or two.

Photo by Blmurch

I now pronounce you man and goat

Bill Clinton has earned millions of dollars every year since leaving the White House, but as reported in 2005, he apparently missed out on a chance to get 40 goats and 20 cows.

A Kenyan city councilman says he offered Bill Clinton 40 goats and 20 cows for his daughter's hand in marriage five years ago. He's still awaiting an answer.

Godwin Kipkemoi Chepkurgor wrote Clinton asking for Chelsea's hand in 2000 when Clinton visited Kenya, Chepkurgor told the East African Standard newspaper.

Chepkurgor, 36, vowed to remain single until he gets an answer to his proposal to marry Chelsea, 25.

Chepkurgor, a city councilor in Nakuru, told Clinton of plans for a grand wedding presided over by South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. ...

The electrical engineering graduate said he promised to pay 40 goats and 20 cows in dowry for Clinton's only daughter in accordance with African tradition. [Link]

In some cultures, when you gain a wife, you lose some goats. In others, when you lose a wife, you gain a goat.

A farmer who blamed his wife for not providing him with a child has swapped her for a goat with three kids.

Three-times-wed Stoil Panayotov struck a deal with another farmer at a livestock market and handed over his wife in exchange for eight-year-old Elena.

Stoil, 54, said: "A friend told me that he had no luck with women and that he really liked my wife." Amazingly, she went along with the arrangement. Stoil added: "The deal was reached when my wife gave her approval.

"The goat has given birth to three kids and my wife to none. This deal was more profitable to the goat owner - I got a second-hand goat and he got a brand new wife."

The trade was concluded in front of a stunned crowd in the market town of Plovdiv in Bulgaria. Now locals are wondering what will happen next if things don't work out between Stoil and Elena. [Link]

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I can't believe his wife agreed to something so demeaning -- being traded for a goat and three kids. Surely no self-respecting woman would ever agree to be traded for fewer than 40 goats. Chelsea Clinton certainly wouldn't. There's no way she'd consider marrying Godwin Chepkurgor, not unless he doubled his offer.

As for Stoil, I hope he's not thinking of marrying the goat, even if those three kids need a dad. That would rile Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. He believes that gay marriage may eventually lead to goat marriage. If he's so strongly opposed to such marriages, it's surprising that he didn't raise the issue with Maureen E. McPhilmy, the mother of his two children. She is, after all, married to a goat.

Photo by TKnoxB