Vacationing Bulgarian Wizard's Pet Chinese Lion Piddles in Library

This post is the metaphoric necklace of collected skulls I promised yesterday, but the pictured item from Milagros was so much more more aesthetically appealing than the aforementioned jewelry. Today challenged even my prodigious ability to craft stupid titles of mismatched topics. And though I know I could do better, I feel myself aging as I type.

I always try to link where I found things if not from the primary source, but some of these have become a blur. Sorry about the lack of attribution if it was your site where I found any of the items below. I have a couple from the NYTimes, proving that, while troubled, they are still preeminent. I was also going to site nature.com's article on how military exercises benefit endangered species by creating land turnover, but they've moved it to the subscription only section. Fine Nature, doom theyself to electronic irrelevance. I need thine content not! Also please pardon the hokey foreign phraserie that follows. Happens more when I'm punchy.

1) Taking care of my dogs even when I don't wish to is part of the committment I make to enjoy them, and thus, they force me to be a slightly less selfish jerk, I think. There are situations in which a temporary pet is probably a glorious thing. But for me, this article about the rent-a-pet phenomenon is primarily a demonstration of a culture that undervalues faithfulness, consistency, and sacrifice.

2) Hexenschule operates as an actual school of magic in Klagenfurt, Austria, prompting Victoria Coren to Observe that the practice of occult magic directly contradicts the necessary conformity of the schoolroom.

3) The NYT covers one of Fortune magazine's most popular features in its Ethiopian edition. Where eating with the hands is de rigueur, the savvy traveler's question is, "How are the restrooms in Addis Ababa?" If they'd only bring that coverage back home. It's shocking how many tony eateries have lousy loos.

4) Urine-powered batteries are being made from paper the size of credit cards. How much Gatorade will I need to guzzle to power a Thunderbird?

5) I learned about the band BloodHag (sorry I lack umlauts in this font) from Bookslut. This article explains the long relationship between metal and scifi/fantasy literature, how the band throws books into their audiences and demands to see library cards while they blast the crunchy decibels of EduCore in their performances within the stacks. The link under the band's name goes directly to their website where you can listen to the short bursts of bone crushing- as it should be- and the tasty, busy drumming- just as I love it- and read their lyrical homage to the genre's greatest authors. Fantastico!

6) If you drive through the safari park in a Mini Cooper, the lions may mistake you for a sardine treat in the can.

7) Archaeologists in central Bulgaria have discovered a golden treasure from 5 millenia ago composed of (so far) 15,000 ornaments and rings so finely crafted that the weld marks elude examination by microscope.

8) BloodHag's efforts aside, it ain't cool to read in Kashmir.

9) Gateway Pundit reports China's gas crisis as their endemic price fixing hoists Guangdong on its own petard. They'll do something about it, though I couldn't guess what. After unhitching the yen from the dollar already, I doubt they'll introduce any more reality into their markets this year. Whatever they do about this situation, I bet I won't like it.

10) Color France the winner in the obstinacy stakes- hands down. They all get tons of time off, but their economy is so poor that fewer and fewer people can afford to take their customary vacation. The answer to the growing phenomenon is so Gallic, and you can bet it doesn't involve re-examining policy. Simply truck sand to the Seine and have idle, unsatisfied loafers grousing around Paris all August. Tre jolie!