Earwax – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Earwax – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The person having their ears cleaned would lie down with their head in the lap of the person doing the cleaning, with this tool. It is generally considered a pleasant feeling for Japanese, like having one's back scratched. The cleaning of ears is thus considered an act of intimacy, often performed by a mother to a child or, among adults, by one's lover.

It is generally advised not to use cotton swabs (Q-Tips or cotton buds) as these will likely push the wax further down the ear canal and, if used carelessly, perforate the eardrum or worse. Cotton swabs should be used only to clean the external ear.

If you haven't discoverd Wikipedia before, let this be your introduction to the power of the internet. It is an open forum where the public contributes to the fact checking.

When Life Begins at 5: A New Wake-Up Call

WSJ.com – When Life Begins at 5: A New Wake-Up Call (Subscription Required)
By a wide variety of indicators, from electricity usage to water consumption, more U.S. households are starting their days before dawn.

Of course, for the sleep-deprived, becoming a morning person can be an uphill battle — 70% of us are not naturally alert and active in the morning, according to the National Sleep Foundation, an educational organization…."It's like these people are a different species,"

The shift to sunrise comes thanks to everything from heavier rush-hour traffic to BlackBerry overload that has left predawn as the last refuge for many people.

Reconquista of Aztlan

Just as there is a movement among European Muslims, who carry banners proclaiming “2030 we take over”, there is a comparable movement in the South West of the U.S. This quote is taken from the conclusion of a Mexican Government sponsored forum:

Is there a common destiny? Is there a common destiny for Aztlan and Mexico? Will Mexico recover its lost territories? There is a Mexican-American activist that use to be a radio talk host that would broadcast in English, “Wake up and smell the refried beans!” and “We are reconquering Aztlan without firing a shot, house by house, block by block!” Y que?

This student maifesto from UCLA gives a feel for the sentiments expressed in this photo.

Overstating Jewish Power

Overstating Jewish Power By Christopher Hitchens

The essay, which Christopher Hitchens savages in Slate, has been trumpeted front page worldwide in the Muslim press, with very little coverage in this country.

Mearsheimer and Walt belong to that vapid school that essentially wishes that the war with jihadism had never started. Their wish is father to the thought that there must be some way, short of a fight, to get around this confrontation. Wishfulness has led them to seriously mischaracterize the origins of the problem and to produce an article that is redeemed from complete dullness and mediocrity only by being slightly but unmistakably smelly.

Here is some more of the controversy from the Washington Post 

North Korea Exporting Fake $100 Bills

North Korea Might Be Exporting Fake $100 Bills
China’s central bank warned its lenders about an influx of high-quality counterfeit American $100 bills — which the United States alleges are made by North Korea — as the spread of the forgeries moves toward the center of a standoff between Washington and Pyongyang.

Governments around Asia are stepping up surveillance for the bogus currency, which law-enforcement officials have dubbed supernotes because they are so difficult to distinguish from genuine money

Bird Flu Defies Control Efforts

Los Angeles Times: Bird Flu Defies Control Efforts
The spread of avian influenza to at least 29 new countries in the last seven weeks — one of the biggest outbreaks of the virus since it emerged nine years ago — is prompting a sobering reassessment of the strategy that has guided efforts to contain the disease.

The speed of its migration, and the vast area it has infected, has forced scientists to concede there is little that can be done to stop its spread across the globe.

"We expected it to move, but not any of us thought it would move quite like this," said Dr. David Nabarro, the United Nations' coordinator on bird flu efforts.

U.S. Makes Seized Iraqi Documents Public

HoustonChronicle.com – U.S. Makes Seized Iraqi Documents Public
— The federal government is making public a huge trove of documents seized during the invasion of Iraq, posting them on the Internet in a step that is at once a nod to the Web's power and an admission that U.S. intelligence resources are overloaded.
The Web surfers have begun posting translations and comments, digging through the documents with gusto. The idea of the government turning over a massive database to volunteers is revolutionary _ and not only to them.