Mansinthe

A sleepy Swiss village with lovely farm houses, and . . . Marilyn Manson: yes, the two can coexist. Although Mr. Manson has never been to the town of Kallnach in Switzerland, he is tied to it because of his love for fine absinthe. In an arrangement between the brewer's distributor and Mr. Manson, a brewer in Kallnach now produces Mansinthe. I might have to try some of this, if I can afford it. It came out in 2006 selling for $65 for 24 ounces. I am guessing that it is pricier now.

Work, work, work. Hello, boys . . .

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Some of the latest news chooses to focus on the extremely popular rally held in the honor of the coming inauguration--that hasn't happened yet. The AP is reporting that Obama's popularity around the world is already starting fall. But really, is that a surprise?

"The idealism has diminished," said Samuel Solvit, who heads an Obama support network in France. "Everyone was dreaming a little. Now people are more realistic."

Well, that is expected with all the hype that was behind his election. I have to wonder, though, if the popularity is not going too far already. The AP writer worries about: "a deepening global recession, new hostilities in the Middle East, complications in closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan." And yes, most of it is worry, but with all this going on, the soon to be president is focusing on, "performers including Bono, Beyonce and James Taylor." And we cannot forget that Stevie Wonder and Shakira were there. Sometimes it seems that there needs to be all work and no play--who cares about being a dull boy.

Sex sells, and dresses too

I just came across a couple articles that I thought should be passed around. Viagra pills are becoming all the rage in Afghanistan, and now women may register their dresses online before parties in order to avoid that horribly embarrassing moment of wearing the same dress as someone else. And some people wonder what good technology is.