Another bit of interesting news from the men-in-white-coats brigade: Drug smugglers may soon face a new obstacle along with sniffer dogs and customs officers - an electronic guilt detector which analyses facial expressions. The computer system will be able to analyse eye movement, pupil changes, and changes in blood flow and temperature to see if they have anything to hide. The project has been given two years and funding of half-a-million pounds. It is hoped that the system will be used by... Read Full Story

Today, I realized, not for the first time these last two or three weeks, that the man will only be with us for a few months longer – and won’t it be strange, after eight, seemingly interminable years, to say goodbye to him? You know that you are getting old when you can, actively, from memory and direct experience, compare the four, and sometimes eight years’ reign of a handful or more presidents. I’ve mentioned it more than a few times on this blog but I’m Dutch – very old Europe, in Rummie... Read Full Story

(Jolie, tats and jeans, going cheaply) On the whole, I am a great admirer of the BBC – especially, its various news services, so it almost pains me to say that, in my opinion, today’s most stupid statement did not come from the mouth of George Bush or the American Right’s love child Sarah Palin but from a BBC article on tattoos. This one, to be precise: In the past, tattoos used to be mainly a badge of belonging and were generally the preserve of armed forces personnel, bikers and tribes... Read Full Story

(Take me home now, Sarah - or anyone, please…) You know when you have overdosed on presidential campaign information? Easy. That’s when each and every story that you read in the papers reminds you of one of the presidential candidates. Like this one: Authorities say a Fort Myers man shot himself in the arm after his girlfriend refused to have sex with him. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported that a 29-year-old man and his girlfriend returned home from a bar early Wednesday morning. The... Read Full Story

(Sting does ‘Stairway to Heaven’?) Yesterday, I mentioned that, when people think of Germany, they still mostly associate the country with the following multiple choice type options: a) Hitler b) Sausages c) Efficiency/seriousness/lack-of-humour or d) Boring but highly successful football teams What they won’t do is say, “Germany? Yes, of course, that’s where all those dammed brothels are!” Which is a bit of a pity, since we also saw that there are, in fact, four German brothels mentioned... Read Full Story

(D.C. with mask) I’ve said this before but science can be so amazing, and such fun and, sometimes, even useful: Radioactive scorpion venom sounds like the ultimate poison but it is now being tested as a treatment for malignant brain cancer. Scientists have discovered that a non-toxic extract from the venom seeks out and locks onto malignant cells after it is injected into the body. By irradiating it before it goes in the body it can be used to target the cancer cells with killer radiation... Read Full Story

When you think of Germany, you think of serious men and women, going about their business politely and efficiently. Okay, maybe not. ‘Hitler’ may still be the first thing you think of, closely followed by ‘Bratworst und bier’ and a tendency to win football tournaments in a boring (if efficient) manner. I dare say though that most people, when asked to think of Germany, would not immediately think of its many, many brothels – and that’s something the German authorities and tourist industry... Read Full Story

(Not bin hiden as well as Bin Laden…?) This from the International Herald Tribune: They said McCain’s options for shaking up the race were essentially limited to game-changing performances in the final presidential debates or in Palin’s vice presidential debate with Joe Biden Thursday night. Short of that, they said, McCain can do little but hope Obama stumbles or an outside event breaks the Republican nominee’s way. The ‘they’ mentioned above were, to quote the Herald, ’several Republican... Read Full Story

We all know that all politicians, from left to right, lie almost all the time. As fish need water, politicians need falsehoods in order to survive. So, it always comes as a huge shock when one of them suddenly starts telling the truth – as the French Deputy Ambassador in Kabul did, per cable: The official version of the US-led campaign in Afghanistan received a blow today with a leaked report that the British Ambassador in Kabul believes that US strategy is wrong and the war is as good as... Read Full Story

Surely, we live in strange times, full of miracles and portents. As the poet has it: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand.” From credit crunches to Moby Dick musicals, life has not just become stranger... Read Full Story