Decade in Review

We'll now be entering the 2010's as the 2000's come to a close. I must admit, a lot has happened during the last 10 years, in terms of general world events and personal events in my life. It was a decade well-lived and I think I'll take this time to reflect on it before starting anew for 2010.

I remember January 1, 2000 very, very well. I was 12, living with my parents, a freshman in high school. I celebrated the new millennium with my family and amidst all of the hype and paranoia of Y2K all my computer did was reset its date to 1980.

In the year 2000, Vermont became the first American state to allow civil unions for same-sex couples, Bill Gates stepped down as CEO, the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl, Israel withdrew its troops from Lebanon, and Vicente Fox became president of Mexico. 2000 was also the year that both Vladimir Putin (on March 26) and George W. Bush (November 7) were elected president of Russia and the U.S. respectively. Despite election controversy, (Al Gore won the popular vote), the Supreme Court ruled that Bush would be president and Colin Powell was chosen to become the first ethnic minority American secretary of state.

2001, another action-packed year, during which the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl, Bush was sworn in, rejected the Kyoto protocol, approved federal funding for limited stem cell research, Milosevic was arrested on war crime charges, and then came the announcement of the discovery of the first new solar system outside our own. September 11th terror attacks marked the deadliest of its kind in U.S. history then came the anthrax scare and the war in Afghanistan. The iPod made its debut in 2001 and the Patriot Act was signed in late October of that year. Both the first "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" movies were released in late 2001 and terror suspects were to be held at Gitmo.

Switzerland voted to join the UN in 2002 and Bush first labeled his "axis of evil". The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl and the "color-coded" terror alert system made its grand debut, which, by the way, has been perpetually elevated to orange if anyone else has been noticing. They never change the color; it's always orange, every single time I'm at an American airport. On May 20, 2002, Timor-Leste (East Timor) became an independent country and the Supreme Court made a landmark ruling to ban execution of the mentally retarded. Baseball finally decided to test its players for steroids on a regular basis in 2002 and the first "American Idol" winner, Kelly Clarkson, was elected. In the American football world, Emmitt Smith set a new NFL rushing record in 2002. NATO invited former communist countries to join its alliance while United Airlines filed for bankruptcy.

Early in 2003, North Korea withdrew from the anti-nuclear proliferation treaty and Hispanics surpassed blacks as the biggest American minority group. The space shuttle Columbia disaster took place in 2003 and the Iraq war began, shortly thereafter, resulting in the fall of Baghdad. Sign ups for the national "do not call" list to evade telemarketers started in June, Massachusetts ruled in favor of gay marriages, and Saddam Hussein was captured before the end of the year.

Following the Mad Cow disease scare, the avian flu scare was launched in 2004. Facebook came online, the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, Martha Stewart went to jail, and Lance Armstrong won his 6th Tour de France. New Jersey governor resigned saying he was homosexual, Google joined the stock market, and Chechen militants took hostages in a Russian school. The second greatest sports moment of the decade happened with the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series, finally breaking the "curse". Bush was re-elected for a second term and Ukraine experienced its "Orange revolution" with the election of Yushchenko, who survived the poisoning. There were also a handful of natural disasters, including the massive earthquake in Nagaoka, Hurricane Jeanne and the four earthquakes of Florida, and the tsunami attack in South Asia. Yassar Arafat died and Hamid Karzai became Afghanistan's new president.

The NHL canceled its season in 2005 and baseball called for stricter drug testing. The Supreme Court ruled against death penalty for juveniles, Prince Charles finally married Camilla, Pope John Paul II died and Benedict was chosen as a replacement. YouTube launched this year, Ahmadinejad was elected as Iranian president, the London terror attacks took place, and Lance Armstrong won his 7th Tour de France. Israel completed its withdrawal from the Gaza strip and parts of the West Bank, Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana, Angela Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor, and "The Colbert Report" premiered on cable. Chicago's White Sox won the World Series and the New England Patriots won its 3rd Super Bowl, becoming a dynasty and marking the best sports moment of the decade (for me). Bush acknowledged the wired tapping going on in U.S. homes at the end of the year and 2005 was the warmest year on record.

In 2006, Morales came to power in Bolivia, "Phantom of the Opera" became the longest running Broadway show, Milosevic was found dead, Libya was removed from the terror list, and North Korea test fired missiles and conducted its first "nuclear" test, though whether it was really a nuclear weapon or the seriousness of this is rather dubious. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl, liquids were banned in carry-on luggage in late summer of 2006, and Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead. Serbia and Montenegro peacefully split into two, separate, independent countries, Google bought YouTube in 2006, Wii made its debut in the gaming world, and Pluto was demoted from its previous status as a planet. New York City banned trans fats in restaurants and Saddam Hussein was executed.

2007 started off with Nancy Pelosi becoming the first female speaker of the House, Beckham signing a contract to play soccer (football) in the U.S., and climate scientists warning about the real consequences of global warming. NFL made instant replay permanent and the Super Bowl was won by the Indianapolis Colts (unfortunately, since I hate Peyton Manning!). 32 were killed in the Virginia Tech massacre, Sarkozy was elected French president, and Gordon Brown became the new British Prime Minister. The last Harry Potter book was released in the summer of 2007, Barry Bonds broke the record for career home runs, and Bret Favre broke the NFL record for touchdown passes. Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize, Hollywood writers went on strike, and Argentina's first female president, Cristina Fernandez, was sworn in.

Last year, oil hit record-high prices at $100/barrel, Sarkozy married Carla Bruni, Fidel Castro resigned, Bush vetoed water boarding ban, and New York's governor was caught up in a prostitution scandal. Bear Stearns was rescued earlier last year, though the worse was yet to come in terms of financial crises and Kosovo declared independence. Medvedev, Putin's protégé, was sworn is as Russian president and polar bears were declared a threatened species. California banned trans-fats in restaurants and frozen water was found on Mars. The Russia-Georgia war started along with the Olympics in Beijing during which swimmer Michael Phelps set an Olympic record with 8 gold medals won at a single Olympic tournament. McCain picked Palin as a running mate and California banned gay marriages while Connecticut approved. Barack Obama became the first ethnic minority president in the U.S.

This year, Obama was sworn in and ordered the closing of Gitmo, signed a $757 billion stimulus packaged, announced a new Afghan-Pakistan strategy, and won the Nobel Peace Prize. Gay marriage was legalized in Iowa, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, the swine flu scare started, and the "King of Pop", Michael Jackson, died. Vermont passed a law allowing gay marriages while Maine voters repealed its law that allowed gay marriages and Michael Jordan was inducted in the basketball hall of fame. Unemployment in the U.S. hit 10% and thus came the end of the decade.

On a personal level, a lot has changed for me since 2000. I not only graduated from high school, but I also graduated from university and now I'm in France doing a graduate program. I managed to visit 36 countries within the decade past and learned to speak 2 additional languages fluently while adding on another 4 to the list of languages I'm studying. I moved 5 times and lived in 3 different countries on 3 different continents ("lived" in this case meaning over 3 months), learned how to hitchhike and completed 108 of the 263 things on my list of things to do before I die. At this rate, I hope to complete the list within the next decade or two! (Oh and I haven't forgotten, merry 7th day of Christmas!)

Today's Random Quiz:

You Should Celebrate Friendship

It may have been a good year or a bad year, but no matter what, your friends helped get you through it. And you can't imagine celebrating New Year's Eve without your closest friends around. You are always happy to catch up with old friends on this night, and you're hoping to make some new ones too. So this year, raise a toast to old and new friends. They make every day of the year a little brighter.

What Should You Celebrate?

Sixth Day of Christmas

This is probably one of the cutest Christmas stories I've heard or read in a while!

Italy toy store opens at 4 a.m. to help frantic mother

ROME (Reuters) – An Italian toy store opened at 4 a.m. on Christmas morning to help a frantic mother whose gifts for her children had been stolen from a basement.

After putting her two toddlers to bed on Christmas Eve, the mother went down to the basement storage room of the apartment block in northern Italy where she had hidden them, only to find that they had been stolen, according to Italian media reports.

Police found out about the theft while the mother was frantically making the rounds of all-night petrol stations looking for substitute gifts so her two daughters would have something under the tree when they woke up on Christmas morning.

The police contacted the owner of a toy store in a small town near Turin, who opened his store at 4 a.m.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Christmas Eve

You are a patient person, and you would agree that anticipation is sometimes better than the main event. There's something magical about the night before Christmas - when it feels like anything could happen! You are a somewhat quiet and spiritual person. You need a lot of alone time to process what's going on around you. You are optimistic and idealistic. You can't help but feel like things are going to work out.

Are You Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Banality of Divorce

Personally, I think marriage and divorce are societal inventions that have really little actual meaning left in them these days. If approximately 50% (or 51%) of marriages end in divorce, is it really meaningful or worth it to get married in the first place? Especially since most marriages end in the first 5 years? I don't know. But while reading this article, it just brought up some questions on whether or not marriages and divorces have just become social banalities today.

Happy Christmas honey - here's a divorce voucher

LONDON (Reuters) – Stuck for Christmas gift ideas? Is your marriage or a friend's going through a rocky patch? How about a divorce voucher?

In an unusual take on the season of giving, a London law firm is offering Christmas gift vouchers for divorce advice.

The firm, Lloyd Platt & Company, which normally charges 325 pounds ($530) an hour, said it had been swamped with enquiries since it launched the vouchers early last week.

So far, more than 60 have been sold -- a snip at 125 pounds for a half hour session with a divorce lawyer.

The firm's founder, Vanessa Lloyd Platt, said she had been amazed at the response to the vouchers. "They seem to appeal to an enormously widespread spectrum of people looking for that 'must have' gift for Christmas," she said.

A spokesman for the Church of England called the vouchers sad.

"Divorce is a very personal matter and not really suitable for the idea of gift vouchers which are presents from other people," he said.

Demand for the vouchers could soar over the next few weeks.

Christmas tends to be a particularly stressful time for families, with a huge rise in people seeking advice each January, Lloyd Platt said.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Fullerton; Editing by Steve Addison)

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Dependable and Trustworthy

You approach the holidays with drive and determination. You're usually the one who does all of the organizing and work. You love being in charge of Christmas dinner, decorating the tree, and picking out presents. You know that everything will be perfect, as long as you're the one behind the wheel. Of all the types, you're the most likely to search far and wide to find the best deal on the gifts you give. You're also the most likely to have a very detailed system for how you wrap and label presents.

The Wrapping Paper Test

Fourth Day of Christmas

This article reminds me so much of last year when I was in Mali! I remember being at a conference in Ghana... and hitchhiking there! =) Good times... good times... I'm so glad President Mills is so intense about fighting corruption! Hahah, good for him!


Ghana's Mills spurns Christmas hampers on graft fears

ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghana's President John Atta Mills is refusing to accept traditional Christmas gifts such as hampers this year because they may be efforts to corrupt him, a spokesman said on Thursday.

It is common practice in Ghana for individuals and businesses to send hampers packed with gifts to friends and people in authority during the festive season.

While some gifts signify traditional sharing, others are given out in appreciation of past or future favors -- something Mills's government has vowed to stamp out since he became leader of a nation set to become Africa's next oil producer in 2010. "He has made it clear that it was not his disposition to accept Christmas hampers and other gifts," said presidential spokesman Mahama Ayariga, adding that disappointed gift-bearers had handed some presents out to presidential staff instead.

"(Mills's) disposition is that you never know what is in the mind of the giver of the gift, so it's always better not to accept them," Ayariga said.

Mills, who assumed office in January on a pledge to wage a "relentless war" against corruption, is generally regarded, even by his critics, as a modest leader and not corrupt, compared to his predecessors.

However, his present-snubbing was not praised by everyone.

Vitus Azeem, the head of Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local chapter of Transparency International, said the president's actions would do little in stemming corruption among fellow government officials.

"His campaign would have been more meaningful if he had given out specific directives to his ministers and other top officials to also turn away the hampers and the goats driven to their homes and offices," said Azeem.

Opposition to the president's initiative also came from James Agbagana, a traditional chief, who warned that he was going too far with his anti-corruption drive as he might destroy the Ghanaian tradition of hospitality in the process.

Ghana is seen as one of West Africa's most attractive investment destinations, largely due to political stability and the prospects of oil starting to flow in 2010 from its Jubilee oil field, which is estimated to hold some 1.8 billion barrels.

Given the negative impact of oil in other oil-producing nations in West and Central Africa, Ghanaians are watchful of the impact on corruption, once the coffers start swelling with petro-dollars.

(Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo; Writing by David Lewis)



Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Milk

Your holiday personality is innocent. The holidays make you feel like a kid all over again. You love every part of the holidays, and you anticipate Christmas morning. You enjoy getting presents as much as you did when you were young!

What Holiday Drink Are You?

Third Day of Christmas

The secret of Xmas crackers -- pull downwards

LONDON (Reuters) – A British department store has worked out a formula it says will make sure festive feasters are never again left holding the short end of a pulled cracker.

"Success is mainly down to the angle, grip, cracker size and 'lines of failure' or where the cracker is likely to tear," said Debenhams.

When pulled, a cracker will always rip at a weak point connecting the reinforced barrel section to the tails, the store added.

By pulling backwards and down at the same time, it is possible to concentrate the force across the top face of the opponent's line of likely failure.

The cracker should be gripped about an inch from the end of the tail closest to the barrel. The tail should be kept in line with the barrel as it is pulled backwards and downwards, with an even force.

For the serious puller, the store has worked out a mathematical formula: O = 11xC/L + 5xQ, where O is the optimum downward angle for pulling the cracker.

C stands for the circumference of the barrel, L is the barrel's length and Q is the quality of the cracker -- pricier versions are often made from stronger material which will increase the optimum angle of pull.

Q has a value of one, two or three depending on whether the cracker is cheap, standard or expensive.

Debenhams said the formula should produce a two-digit figure between 20 and 55 degrees, which is the optimum pulling angle below the horizontal.

"Don't worry, it's less complicated than it looks," it adds.

Today's Random Quiz:

You are Multicolored Lights

Your holidays are a time for cheer and excitement. You love the holidays so much and everyone perks up a little from your happiness. You try to be grateful for what you have this time of the year. Even if things have been tough, you can't help but be joyful.

What Color Christmas Lights Are You?

Second Day of Christmas

In times of old, Christmas lasted 12 days. Actually, even now in some parts of America/in certain Christian communities (i.e. the Amish communities), they still celebrate Christmas for 12 days. So, in light of old, I decided to continue wishing people Christmas! Not only that but today is a holiday in Alsace known as St. Étienne (St. Stephen's Day a.k.a. the Feast of St. Stephen), which is basically a day you gather family, just like on Christmas, and eat a lot of Baekaofe, which is basically pot roast, but with lamb and pork in addition to beef. Besides, there are so many cute Christmas stories showing up online that I have to share them with you.

Like this man... who is now one of my idols. I want to do what he did one day!

Australian man turns Santa, gives away belongings
SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian man has embraced the spirit of the season, taking on the role of a real-life Santa and giving away his possessions as gifts for the second Christmas in a row.

Last Christmas, Dennis Stevenson opened his home and gave away all his belongings. This year, he opened a makeshift shop in the Gold Coast in Queensland to again distribute seasonal cheer and invited others to donate as well.

"It's a lovely thing to do to continue the spirit of Christmas," Stevenson told Reuters on Thursday.

Stevenson opened The Spirit of Christmas shop on December 22 and says that 90 percent of his goods had been taken.

On Christmas Eve the shop was "absolutely packed" with last minute gifts, said Stevenson.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Spread a Lot of Holiday Cheer

During the holidays, you represent the true spirit of Christmas. You give freely, and you enjoy this special time of the year. There's a good chance that you spread cheer every time of the year... not just during the holidays. You're kind, upbeat, and generous. Anyone who crosses your path is lucky.

Do You Spread Holiday Cheer?

Joyeux Noël !

Merry Christmas!
¡Feliz Navidad!
Frohe Weihnachten!
매리 크리스마스!
Buon Natale!
С Рождеством Христовым!
God jul!
Crăciun fericit!
Wesołych świąt!
Feliz Natal!

Antarctic expeditioners to have a truly white Christmas

By Pauline Askin Pauline Askin – Thu Dec 24, 2:29 pm ET

CAPE DENISON, Antarctica (Reuters) – The closest Australian expeditioners to Antarctica will get to a nativity scene this Christmas is watching thousands of Adelie penguins tending to newly hatched youngsters.

There are no Christmas carols, no avenues lined with decorations and certainly no pine trees on the icy, eastern Antarctic plateau where the 10 members of the Mawson's Huts Foundation will be spending the festive season this year, about 3,000 km (1,870 miles) away from any Australian mainland.

Being summer, the daylight here also lasts for 24 hours.

Archaeologist Jody Steele is used to spending weeks at a time in isolation in remote areas of Australia's bush, but this will be her first Christmas at Cape Denison, working with others to preserve the relics of Australian explorer Sir Douglas Mawson's 1911-1914 expedition to the area.

Although the area is a world away from her home in warm Victoria state, Steele said she was delighted to experience her first truly white Christmas.

"This will be the first time I will wake up to snow and ice, so it's a whole new world for me," she said as she washed clothes in a bucket of hot water usually used for showering.

"I'm hoping to have clean, well cleanish, thermals for Christmas day."

Mark Farrell, a carpenter from Tasmania, is also excited at the prospect of a postcard-perfect Christmas.

"I'm 43 years old and this will be my first white Christmas. I usually don't get too excited by Christmas but I'm pretty sure it will be a bit more exciting down here," he said.

Chief conservator Michelle Berry, a veteran of Christmas in remote places, plans to infuse a medieval theme into Christmas Eve by making a night-cap of wassail, a warm, spicy alcoholic punch for which she will bake apples, and which will be passed around in its large pot for all to share.

All work will stop on Christmas Day and the expedition members will spend the day relaxing in their small home, which also serves as the eating hall and the office. A small, fake Christmas tree takes pride of place in the modest hut, and tinsel decorations are strewn around the room.

Everybody said they planned to wear Santa hats and toy reindeer antlers.

Christmas lunch is set to be a relatively lavish affair, given the lack of fresh produce, with a starter, roast lamb and ham with accompanying vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding and brandy butter. Wine will also be served and a "Santa" will appear to hand out presents.

It's tradition at Cape Denison to play a game of pseudo-cricket, which usually ends quickly, and with little ball chasing, because the polar clothing and the ice make it quite difficult to run.

The weather is also not ideal for Christmas outdoor sports -- Friday's forecast for Cape Denison is a temperature of about 0 degrees accompanied by a bitter wind.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Today's Random Quiz:

Would Be a Conventional Santa

Truth be told, you're pretty happy with Santa and Christmas as they are. Why mess with a good thing? Traditions are traditions for a reason. And you're happy to participate in all of them. You even believe in Santa a little. You think that old fashioned holidays with old time values are nice. It's all about family and togetherness. You think that too much commercialism and greed are naughty. It breaks your heart when the holidays bring out the worst in people.

The Santa Hat Quiz

Agog for the Holidays

Christmas in Strasbourg is truly beautiful. I loved biking to and from classes and now that classes are over, I'm happy to roam the streets to go grocery shopping, walking to and from work, or Christmas shopping for last-minute presents. All the decorations just make me agog for the holidays; I mean, if scenes like these:















... don't put you in a holiday mood, I don't know what will! Compared to relatively low-scale decorating in most American cities, Strasbourg is really serious about Christmas! Makes sense though, considering it's self-proclaimed title of the world's "Christmas Capital".


Today's Random Quiz:

You Are A Reindeer

You are a solid, dependable person. You are more likely to act than talk. You have a lot of endurance and grit. You can work well into the night if you need to. You are cooperative and competent. You like being part of a team, especially if everyone is pulling their weight. You are energetic and hyper. You don't like to stay still for to long, and you're always ready to go somewhere new!

Are You An Elf or a Reindeer?

Wisconsin

I'm finally free!!! I handed in my last paper of the year and now it's all... well, it's not all fun and games now, but it's just a different kind of stress. Now that papers and lecture preparations are over with, I still have to study for my final exams in January and I'll be kept pretty busy with giving tours in the city. It's the last "holiday rush" = "rush of tourists" of this year so thus the tightly knit schedule. I'm only supposed to work about 20 hours a week so since Christmas is on Friday, they're making sure I'm pretty much occupied Monday through Thursday before the end of the Christmas season. It's still not bad since it's only 5 hours a day I'll have to work but still, I have a lot of unfinished Christmas errands to run and a ton of baking/cooking left to do before the holidays. Oh well, I guess the days leading up to Christmas will be just as, if not more, strapped for time.

Oh and the title of this post is "Wisconsin" because I opened my mailbox to actually read all of my incoming mail today, since I'd been putting that off during my insane study/work/paper-writing rampage these past few weeks, and I found this video from my old university, trying to get me to donate money. I really wish I could if I weren't on a budget myself... I do miss Wisconsin and all the good times I spent there. It's a place with a lot of firsts and a lot of good memories, so I decided to post it online. Maybe some of you who've never seen pictures of my university before can take a look/little tour now =)

U-rah-rah! Wisconsin! from UW Foundation on Vimeo.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Love the Holidays More than Anyone

The holidays are a special time for you, and you try to keep the holiday spirit going all year long. You believe that this season is all about giving, and you love the chance to practice generosity. Whether you're making someone smile with the perfect gift or feeding everyone cookies, the holidays always elevate your mood. Just putting on your favorite holiday song always warms your heart. Even if it's July!

How Much Do You Love the Holidays?

Elephant in North America

Can't write much, I'm stressing out over the current workload and the realization that the semester ends in just a couple of weeks. But, thought I'd share this picture with you.

Who said elephants aren't native to North America? =)



Today's Random Word:

Thaumaturgy (noun) The performance of magic or miracles.

Italians vs. Europeans

This short video is by the same Italian animator (Bruno Bozzetto) as the "Yes & No" clip I had earlier this year (about driving). It's pretty much hilarious =D Are Italians really "different"? I'll leave you to decide ;)

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are A Spaceship

You're so weird that you're practically out of this world. You are a total dreamer. You are obsessed with conquering the impossible. You are wild and adventurous. You love thrills of all sorts. You are a true sensation seeker. You are always looking for that next high.

What Type of Transportation Are You?

Swedish Women Voted the Most Beautiful

I'm not lesbian, but I'm a woman. As a woman, I can appreciate beauty in all sexes since female sexuality is not as rigid as male sexuality. Not just that, but I just appreciate beauty, whether it's in a form of art, a beautiful person, or beautiful music, anything really. So what's the point of this entry? Well, I read travel magazines and in one particular magazine article, it listed the top 10 cities with the most beautiful women in the world. Sweden was #1. I'm not surprised. I've been to Stockholm and there were plenty of beautiful women there. It was nice and I don't have to be homosexual to say that. Like I said, I appreciate beauty in all forms. Still, I guess this entry is for all my male friends out there who are planning their next trip ;). Here are the top 10 cities according to Traveler's Digest:

Cities with the Most Beautiful Women by Dakota Smith

10. Montreal, Canada
Ahh the flavour of France but with the convenient location of Canada, Montreal is truly one of the world's best cities. So many colleges & universities, so many women, & with fashion sense, a very good quality may I add. The best part of course being that the women all speak French, the language of love. So my friends, take a trip to Montreal, and find a beautiful leather trench coat wearing beauty that will serenade you in French all night long.

9. Seoul, South Korea
Every guy loves Asian women, I'm pretty sure that's a scientific fact and Seoul is home to quite a few of them. The city is a large, cosmopolitan, & vibrant city. It's home to some of the best nightlife in Asia, so you'll also not be lacking in opportunities to meet people. After a trip to Seoul, whether you like Asian women or not, you'll come down with a case of the 'yellow fever'.

8. Amsterdam, Holland
Of course Amsterdam must make the list. This city has women more beautiful riding past on bicycles than other cities have going by in chauffeured cars. Dutch girls are amazing in so many ways, they're trendy, as well as cool, they're fun, & also friendly. They're the kind of girls that you just want to date for a very long time.

7. Tel Aviv, Israel
Israel has some of the best looking women in the world, something about those green eyes that are just particularly attractive. But beware as in Israel women over the age of 18 are required to have been in the military, this of course means that if you sleep with an Israeli girl's best friend, she may very well kick your ass, while equipped with an Uzi. Sure it's a longshot, but it could happen.

6. Caracas, Venezuela
Caracas the capital of Venezuela, Venezuela the country with more Miss Universe Pageant titles than any other nation, so you know it's capital is going to be raging full of beautiful women. Women so beautiful that they make Brazilian women look like trashier counterparts. I speak honestly when I tell you that I know what type of undergarments runner up to Miss Venezuela wears (let us just say little flowers), what I cannot begin to tell you however is the amount of fun you will have if you take a trip to Venezuela, say hello to Hugo Chavez for me.

5. Moscow, Russia
Mother Russia is home to some of the world's finest women, the Moscow subway alone has more beauties than most of the United States alone, & I live in the United States :( It's not only the regularity of tall, blonde hair, blue eyed women that make it so great, it's also the amazing level of friendliness that you will find. It's a definite unique experience when what seems the world's most beautiful woman is staring your way, it leaves you wondering whether you have something on your shirt, but you in fact probably don't, they could very well think you're hot.

4. Varna, Bulgaria
Many of you may not have heard of Bulgaria, some of you may not know where to find it on a map, but you have all been there, in your dreams at night when you sleep. A land of cheap vodka, no drug laws, mechanical bulls on the beach, & waterslides. A land of cafes with inflatable furniture, the land of g-strings, & see through pants, the land of topless sunbathing. But more importantly than all others the land of the world's most beautiful, charming, & stunning women, oh how I love them so.

3. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires should be designated the capital of the Western Hemisphere, not only for it's wealth of beautiful women on a scale unlike any other Latin Country, even the extraordinary Venezuela, but for being the best city this side of Paris. Buenos Aires is amazing, where else can you sing Madonna hyms by the burial site of Evita, answer nowhere. More importantly where else can I get invited to model scout competitions, invited to Fashion TV parties, & kiss a 6"4 supermodel, well not too many other places let me tell you.

2. Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen has surely got some of the world's most beautiful women, & also some of the friendliest, maybe even a little bit more sex orientated than their Swedish counterparts. For instance, I had just arrived at the Copenhagen train station, it was late, I was tired, I must've been looking good, for I noticed a hot Danish girl looking my way, so I looked hers, then I smiled, then she pointed me out to her friend, & next thing you know I had an entire high school classroom full of girls yelling at me, things, yelling things, good things. This alone is why I say Copenhagen is one of the best, it's like Amsterdam but instead of hookers, Copenhagen has porn stars.

1. Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm is a city filled with the best looking women in the world, women so good looking that when you walk in to a 7-11 you will swear that you have just walked into a reality TV set, What Happens When Supermodels Work at A Convenience Store? Yes I know it's a long name, but hey it's true. Better yet the women are super friendly, & extremely educated, they speak English with English accents, they start making you wonder whether England in fact had good looking women but they're all on working vacations in Sweden, turns out they're not as England doesn't have but in fact they're all just really well studied Swedish girls.
Out of the 10 cities listen above, I've been to 6 of them. Stockholm, I definitely agree with. Moscow, I believe them, though when I was there, I was stranded without a passport and I was 15 and in a panicked state and had no chance to notice even key architecture, let alone the women. Amsterdam, hm... I guess I was too amazed at how well people spoke English there (even 80-year-old grannies speak perfect English there!) that I didn't notice. Seoul I've been to when I was like... 8 so I don't remember much. Montreal I'd agree with though I don't like the Quebecois. The French they speak in Montreal isn't the same as they do in France and to me, it doesn't sound good and thus, not "romantic" or hot at all. Though, if you don't know a word of French (or if you LIKE the Quebecois accent), then heck you might not notice the difference. My brother and I have a theory as to why Swedish women are beautiful. Back in the ancient times, when Vikings roamed the lands that are now Great Britain, they took all the beautiful women, or most of them. Now, stretch that out over a couple decades to centuries and you might have a significant impact on the gene pool. That might explain why British women are considered "mediocre" and Swedish women "beautiful".

Today's Random Picture:

Happy Thanksgiving!

My second Thanksgiving celebrated abroad! I can't talk for long since I have an entire meal to prepare so I'll keep it short.

I wish all my American friends a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are a Red Pumpkin

You are beautiful, interesting, and bold. You may not stand out immediately, but you're the type of person who gets a lot of double takes. You believe life's too short to do anything you hate. There's so many things to love in the world, and you try to fill your life full of them. You have a heart for adventure and a passion for travel. Even if can't visit some place new for a while, you still remain curious about the world. You find it easy to be excited and optimistic about new things. You are fearless and believe that everything will work out in the end.

What Color Pumpkin Are You?

Removing the Bottom 5%

Sad as it is, in our world the few rich countries hold most of the world's wealth. If you remove the bottom 5% of world GDP contributors, you'd be eliminating a total of 81 countries, 2.9 billion people (~43% of the world population), and yet, only 5% of world GDP. Most of the countries that would "disappear" are those in Africa, Southeast Asia, a few countries in Latin America and a couple in the Middle East/Central Asia.
The poorest country (and thus the least significant GDP contributor) is Zimbabwe. Then follows the rest of the bottom 5% thusly:

Burundi, DR Congo, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Malawi, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Niger, Afghanistan, Togo, Guinea, Uganda, Madagascar, the Central African Republic, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Rwanda, Mozambique, East Timor, The Gambia, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Lesotho, Ghana, Haiti, Tajikistan, the Comoros, Cambodia, Laos, Benin, Kenya, Chad, the Solomon Islands, Kyrgyzstan, India, Nicaragua, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Mauritania, Pakistan, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Ivory Coast, Zambia, the Yemen, Cameroon, Djibouti, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Nigeria, Guyana, the Sudan, Bolivia, Moldova, Honduras, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Bhutan, Egypt, Vanuatu, Tonga, Paraguay, Morocco, Syria, Swaziland, Samoa, Guatemala, Georgia, the Congo, Iraq, Armenia, Jordan, Cape Verde, the Maldives, Fiji, Namibia

Insane how unequal wealth distribution is in the world, isn't it? So many people study it and no one has yet discovered a plausible solution... will it ever end?

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Mashed Potatoes

You are reliable and steady. People know that they can count on you each year at Thanksgiving, and you are never a disappointment. While you may seem simple, a lot of work goes in to who you are. You are a bit of an under-appreciated masterpiece. You are both decadent and indulgent, while still being accessible to the common thing. In some ways you are all things to all people. You get along well with other people, but you're also good all on you're own. The bottom line is that you're easy to love.

What Thanksgiving Side Dish Are You?

Quaker Oatmeal

It's very surprising but I actually miss American food. I guess it's similar to my burger-cravings I had while in Mali. You crave what you can't have. What I can't have here in France seems to be cheap, readily available oatmeal. Yes, oatmeal. Americans eat oatmeal, probably thanks to the British (Scottish) immigrants who brought their oatmeal-eating habits across the pond. I'm not saying oatmeal doesn't exist in France, it does. It's called flocons d'avoine and they do sell it in big grocery stores/supermarkets. They're not steel-cut oats, though, but rather, the worse-quality rolled oats that I personally wouldn't eat for breakfast. I only used rolled oats for baking but here in France, they don't even know what I'm talking about. No one eats it. I never thought I'd say this but I miss oatmeal made with real oats. I miss baking for that matter. I regret having chosen this apartment. At least the other apartment, while further from campus, had an oven I could bake things in.
Some things you just can't find here in France. For instance, Thanksgiving is in only 2 days and I have yet to find canned pumpkins (or even whole, big, orange pumpkins) to bake pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin crème brûlée, pumpkin bread... You can make anything with pumpkins! Pumpkin soup or porridge even. Pumpkin is delicious! I remember I met some Russians who didn't think pumpkins were good until I made pumpkin cheesecake that changed their tune completely. I guess French people just aren't creative with pumpkins. They're open-minded about eating strange things like snails (I know, it's a stereotype but it's actually true), frogs (definitely a stereotype but they do sell it, though hardly anyone eats it), horses (less commonly eaten, but eaten all the same), rabbits, ducks, pigeons... such weird things that we don't eat in America... but they don't eat the "normal" things like pumpkins! It's strange. I never had this feeling when I was in Mali. Why is that? Is it because France is more similar to the U.S. than Mali? Is that why I'm making comparisons between the countries and finding it frustrating that I can't find things they I should be able to find them? Is it because in Mali I expected to find nothing and so, I'd already given up and thus frustration couldn't be found?

Whatever the case, I miss oatmeal... and pumpkin bread, pie, pumpkin everything. I always crave certain "comfort foods" when it's this time of the year. I have so many childhood memories of eating things like certain cookies and pies that it makes me a little reminiscent in late November and in December.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Pumpkin Bread

You are considerate and generous. Your heart warms when you're able to do something unexpectedly nice for someone else. You know it can be a cold world out there, and you have plenty of happiness to spread around. You try to give as much as possible every day, and you know that small acts of kindness can often mean the much. Whether you're being a good listener or sharing a slice of your pumpkin bread, people feel lucky to be able to count on you.

What Pumpkin Treat Are You?

Panarin Predicts the End

Doomsday prophecies seem to be the trend these days. The world ending in 2012, global warming becoming irreversible if progress isn't made by 2025 thus melting the polar icecaps and eventually resulting in the end of the world, my sister saying that the world will end in 2060 according to some weird formula she came up with herself. In any case, of all of these outrageous claims, I found one particular doomsday prophecy particularly outrageous. A Russian professor, Professor Игорь Панарин (Igor Panarin) has been predicting the "moral and economic collapse" of the United States for the past decade or so. He predicts that the United States as we know it today will be obsolete by 2010. As if things aren't bad enough for America already, what with the recession, the financial crisis, banking crisis, housing market crash, the falling dollar, and now... this? Seriously???

Panarin, an ex-KGB analyst, is now allegedly spreading his outlandish prophecy across the Russian media, getting interviews, even giving lectures on what he claims is a hypothesis based on cold, hard facts. What ultimately leads the U.S. to disintegration? According to Panarin, a combination of economic decline, mass immigration, moral and social degradation will in turn trigger a second American civil war and the complete demise of the dollar. The end result? The break-up of the United States by mid-2010 into some 6-odd regions. Of course, Panarin couldn't stop and leave it at that. Not only would the U.S. break up, but these sub-regions would be controlled or absorbed completely by foreign powers.

Sound crazy enough? I personally think this is Panarin's own way of "getting back" at the U.S. and the West in general and their displays of schadenfreude at the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The U.S. and the West watched the Soviet Union collapse with a sort of surprised satisfaction as communist dictatorial rule ended in ultimate failure. Is this Panarin's way of saying "it's going to happen to you too", even though it's not? What surprised me particularly was that his so-called "hypothesis" is actually somewhat popular in Russia. So maybe it's true that the Kremlin in Russia harbors some anti-American sentiments? Even though his theory is far-fetched to outright ridiculous, Mr. Panarin isn't regarded as some lunatic in his home Russia. In fact, he's the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s academy for future diplomats and he's also one of the talking heads on Russian (state-run) TV whenever US-Russian relations are the issue.

What exactly he hypothesizes can be summed up in this map:
* "The California Republic" comprised of the West Coast and states west of the Rockies would be taken over by China or fall under Chinese influence.
* "The Central North-American Republic" made up of the Midwestern/North central states would be absorbed by Canada or controlled by Canada.
* "Atlantic America", my home region, consisting of much of the Atlantic coastal states, would eventually attempt to join the European Union
* "The Texas Republic", which is the "Tex-Mex" area as well as a handful of other southern states would fall to Mexico or under Mexican influence.
* Alaska (or Аляска) would return to Russian possession
* Hawaii would be taken by Japan or China

China having control over Hollywood? Unlikely, since California is one of the richest American states and would be in the top 20 richest countries on its own. The Canadian Maple Leaf flag flying at the Gateway Arch in Missouri? Hardly imaginable. A European Union Institute residing in the heart of New York City or Washington, D.C.? Impossible. Mexico taking over the die-hard patriotic state of Texas? Not without a horrific massacre of some sort. Ok, Sarah Palin and the citizens dumb enough to elect her can go to Russia and as for Hawaii going to Japan or China? I doubt it, but maybe that's not as impossible as Canada taking over a huge chunk of the U.S.

While, as an American myself, I found Panarin's claims blasphemous, he refers to political scientist Emmanuel Todd, who predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1976. “People laughed at him" [too], he implies a similar vindication as he's quoted saying at an interview for this Wall Street Journal article. If you really think about it though, you can't even begin to compare the break-up of the Soviet Union with a possible break-up of the U.S. The Soviet Union wasn't really a voluntarily united country. It was transitioned into a Union from its original Imperial form (The Russian Empire conquered many foreign regions, obviously not a union with their consent). So a lot of people were discontent and there were several preexisting nationalities already within the Soviet Union. Can you really compare an Azerbaijani and Uzbek in the ex-Soviet Union and make similar comparisons to a Californian and a Wisconsinite? I don't think so, because in times of crisis, as 9/11 events showed us, Americans stand together and patriotism is rekindled. There is no way that could happen. Not only that, but his arguments are founded on untrue "facts". Economic decline and during the "Great Depression" didn't do anything to question U.S. unity. Our current "crisis" isn't nearly as bad as the media tries to scare us into thinking. Mass immigration? What mass immigration? U.S. immigration levels have been relatively stable and it is only recently that our immigration levels are matching that of the 1800s. As for moral degradation and the falling dollar, well, that's something we'll have to live with and work through, but it certainly won't cause another civil war.

Oh, I guess I should add that Panarin does try to buffer his claims with some insurance by saying that this is only 50% likely to happen. He adds that if in fact it did, it would be great - for Russia, that is. What I think he's missing out is, yeah, sure, even if Russia gets back its precious Аляска, the break-up of the U.S. would actually be more detrimental to Russia than it is beneficial, since the U.S. is one of Russia's most important trading partners, which closely ties the two countries together economically. End result: Russia would experience some serious economic turmoil of its own if the U.S. were to break up.

This case is similar to the apocalyptic prophecies of religious eschatologists and we can only wait to discuss and laugh about this next year, in November 2010. If President Obama is still the president of the U.S., I'm sure Panarin will retreat with his tail behind his legs and no longer make such rash proclamations. Of course, I'm confident to say that his prophecy is wrong. If it turns out to be true, then I guess he can put his foot in my mouth.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Send

You are confident, assertive, and a real go-getter. You like to take action. You know that things won't get done unless you do them, and you're always willing to take the first step. You're the type of person who applies for jobs you may not get and initiates friendships with strangers. You believe that life can be full of wasted opportunities if you're not careful. You rather do too much than do too little.

What Email Function Are You?

Noticing Accents

The more you advance in a foreign language, the more you become sensitive to the local accents/dialects. This isn't just be but seems to be an overall fact that applies to all language learners. For instance, when I first started out, I wouldn't be able to tell you if a Strasbourgeois spoke differently from a Parisian or a Marseillais. Now, I could definitely pinpoint the differences. Not only that, but as is the case for German lately, I can even tell the difference between someone speaking English with a German accent from Sachsen and one speaking English with an Austrian-German accent. Crazy, huh? I haven't gotten the hang of the different regional accents of Russian but at least now I can clearly tell the difference between Russian and other Slavic languages like Belarusian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, etc. Before, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you the difference between Slovak and Russian! (Don't kill me Pavol). But now, I can, without a doubt.

One such accent-detecting skill that has been getting rusty lately is my ability to detect the different Spanish accents. For the Spanish learners out there, can you tell the difference? Cathy? You've studied Spanish for nearly 8 years now, you must be able to tell them apart, right? I'll post the answers later =) Get them all right and I'll bake you a cake ;)

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are a Pumpkin Pie Baking in the Oven

You love to feel comforted and relaxed. For you, fall means turning inward and remembering what matters in your life. Fall rings in the time of traditions, and you embrace each and every one of them. Whether you're decorating for Halloween, cooking for Thanksgiving, or planning for Christmas, you really get into the season. You love sharing this time with your friends and family. You like to make new and lasting memories.

What Autumn Smell Are You?

Language Learning Difficulty Levels for English Speakers

I don't know about other governments, but the U.S. government's Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the Department of State came up with the approximate difficulty levels of all major foreign languages for native English speakers several years back. I learned of this categorization of languages a few years back but I realized I've merely talked about it and haven't shared the information publicly yet. First, I read it in a book about foreign languages (for English speakers) and I found the list on government website. I tried to go back but it didn't come up, so I decided to post it on my blog.
Before I get into that, I'll give you some basic details. The languages are divided into 3 major levels or categories. 1 being the easiest and 3 being the most difficult. The weeks and class hours estimated by the FSI is to reach S3 and R3 proficiency levels, the U.S. proficiency levels similar to that provided in Europe. Here's my rough estimate, correct me if I'm wrong!Does that mean you can get to level B2/S3 in Danish within 6 months in the comfort of your own home? Sorry to burst your bubble (mine was), but it's probably not likely. These estimates are based on the classes that the FSI students are provided with. Who are these students. Well, generally they are middle age (think late 30s to 40s), probably already speak several other foreign languages and have a "talent" for formal language study. Not to mention that their classes size is at it's largest 6 students, meet for 25 hours per week with an additional 3 to 4 hours of directed self-study PER DAY. If you made learning Danish a part-time/full-time job for the next 6 months, sure, you could get to B2/S3... but do any of us have that kind of time or commitment? I suppose Not. I guess that's why for normal people like you and I, it takes us years to reach a certain level of proficiency. The most difficult language to learn for native English speakers according to the FSI? Japanese. Not hard to imagine, with their 3 writing systems (katakana, hiragana, kanji) and the "inversed" sentence structure, I guess it's no wonder that's considered the most difficult.
*Languages preceded by asterisks are typically somewhat more difficult for native English speakers to learn than other languages in the same category.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are a Scrambled Egg

You are spontaneous and fun. You like to mix it up in life, and you are very flexible. You consider any day that surprises you to be a good day. You aren't big on planning and structure. You are an agreeable, happy person. You can get along with almost anyone, and you're pretty easy to please. You live a somewhat chaotic life, but things seem to work out for you in the end. Even when things are a mess, you come out fine at the other end.

What Kind of Eggs Are You?