No stool pigeon!

An African Grey Parrot in Japan somehow got lost before being "captured" by police: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080521/ap_on_fe_st/odd_japan_parrot_returns. The thing I love about this story, apart from the happy ending? The bird absolutely would not talk to police, but once it was turned over to a vet, it started chattering away, telling the vet where it lived.

I don't know why, but I find this story to be very funny..........

Civilized countries do this?

It's a minor (at best) story on this continent, but talk to any Japanese national about North Korean abductions and you will get a definite reaction: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120475201742314523.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. I can't conceive of sending agents over to anoher country and simply kidnapping random civilians. What, there aren't enough people in your own country to torture?

Some are hopeful, I am not

Some Israelis are hopeful that a repeat of the 2001 Durban "Anti-Racism" Conference can be avoided: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1198517249494&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. What I don't get is that they are largely basing their hopes on A) The feckless U.S. State Department, whose anti-Israeli bent has become even more pronounced since Condoleeza Rice became the Secretary of State; B) The Europeans, who have never been known for being fair when it comes to the subject of Israel; and C) Japan, which while not an enemy of Israel can always be trusted to vote in whichever fashion will guarantee it ongoing oil shipments.

2009 is now next year, and it WILL (in my view) unfortunately see a repeat of Durban......only this time it will be worse, as the anti-Israeli sentiment is much more widespread than it will have been eight years earlier.

Do I have to boycott THEM, too???

I've previously blogged about the animal-lover side of my personality, and it's going to come out here again: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3882449.

WHY, why, why do the Japanese need to resume hunting Humpback Whales? Are they seriously trying to sell the world on the idea that their culture will wither away and die if they don't kill these animals? Sorry, but that won't fly with me, nor should it with anyone else. It's a barbaric move on their part, and hopefully they will be condemned by the world community for it.