Fighting poverty in very different ways

Thousands of pig tusks hung from the walls, tied up with string salvaged from the rocky coastline below the village of Lavatmagemu.

"The system works," he explained, "from the natural resources we have - the products of the land and the sea. All are valued and converted into our currency. Our aim is to make sure there is no poverty in our communities."

versus:

Finally we met little Nazar.

Her father said he had seven other children to feed and needed the money.

It was clear Harry had a number of children ready to be sold to the highest bidder.

Question of the Day: Jobs

What was your first legal, paid job? (That is, not babysitting or shoveling snow for neighbors.)

My answer:
I was a cashier at Kmart! I was incredibly eager to get my first job with a real paycheck, so I applied and interviewed for the job a couple weeks before my 16th birthday. The red smock I was made to wear nearly killed my enthusiasm, but only nearly -- I stayed there about three years. *dork*

(Post your answer as a comment.)

Cardboard journalism

Turns out the buns are cardboard free! (See my earlier post.) Seems some bloggers want to be reporters and some reporters don't know how to be -- What'll we do? I suppose I'll have to try one of those buns when I make it to China then, won't I?

China ethics plea after fake buns
By James Reynolds
BBC News, Beijing

Workers said they added cardboard to buns at the reporter's suggestion
China's propaganda department has called on journalists to strictly adhere to news ethics.

The instructions came in the wake of a case in which a reporter was caught faking a story about buns made from cardboard.

The Chinese Communist Party heavily controls its media, deciding what people can and cannot publish and broadcast.

But it seems that it cannot always stop reporters simply making up stories.

In recent weeks China has been following a series of reports about low food and drug safety standards.

The most captivating story of all came a few days ago.

Zi Beijia, a reporter for Beijing TV, ran a report about a food store that mixed cardboard into its pork buns as a cheap ingredient.

His report showed workers mushing the cardboard into a sludgy mix and then adding it to dough and pork.

Police then raided the store. Workers admitted that they had added the cardboard - but at the suggestion of the reporter, who had apparently grown frustrated that he had found nothing wrong with the store after spending 10 days spying on it.

The reporter is quoted as saying that his aim was to become famous. He succeeded - but he also got arrested.

Cuter sans mustache

Ahh, a freshly shaved Brandon Flowers...



...theatrical eyeliner doesn't hurt, either.

Read My Mind ~ The Killers

The Killers have become one of my all-time favorite bands. (That is, I love just about every single song they make, and we all know how rare it is to find a band like that anymore). "Read My Mind" is one of their newer songs, and the video just so happens to be set in Japan. Oh! Oh! Yeah.



Of course, it is made all the better by a cameo appearance by a capsule hotel (!!) and lyrics such as these: "The stars are shining like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun. Can you read my mind?"

Question of the Day: Procrastination

When it comes to huge, critical projects, or just small, inconsequential tasks, do you prepare in advance or procrastinate?

Answers I've received so far:
~ I get stuff done early so it doesn't hang over my head at the last minute.

My answer:
Both, sorta. I plan plan plan (hey, I'm damn good at it), but then procrastinate when it comes to the actual completion of the project. I've always told myself that the procrastination is OK because I produce better work when under a time crunch. Of course, this is likely a load of crap, but it helps me feel better about my bad habits, and the system's worked so far!

(Post your answer as a comment.)