Top 10 Useless Body Parts

10. Plica semilunaris
You may not know it, but you have a third eyelid. Pull open the two more noticeable eyelids and take a look—it's located right in the corner by the tear duct. This small third eyelid is left over from what's known as a "nictitating membrane," which is still present in full form in some animals including chickens, lizards and sharks.

9. Body hair
No doubt we were once hairier. Up until about three million years ago, we were covered with body hair. But by the time Homo erectus arrived, the ability to sweat meant we could shed our woolly ways.

8. Sinuses
Doctors don't really know much about sinuses—only that we have a lot of them. Possibilities for their function range from insulating our eyes to changing the pitch and tone of our voice.

7. AdenoidsAdenoids trap bacteria, but they're also prone to swelling and infection. Just ask any seven-year-old. Luckily, our adenoids shrink with age and are often removed, along with...

6. Tonsils
Also prone to swelling and infection. If you still have them when you reach your 30s, it's almost an accomplishment.

5. Coccyx
More useful as a game-winning Scrabble word than as part of the anatomy, the coccyx or tailbone, is made up of several fused vertebrae left over from the days when we had tails.

4. Arrector pili
When we were hairier (see No. 9), the arrector pili made the hairs stand on end when we needed to appear bigger and scarier. Now, it just gives us goose bumps.

3. Wisdom teeth
Back in the day, when we ate mammoth meat off the bone and didn't floss afterward, our teeth tended to fall out. Therefore, when those reserve molars, aka "wisdom teeth," came in, they were welcomed. Nowadays, fluoride and dental plans have just made them a huge pain.

2. Appendix
Darwin claimed the appendix was useful for digestion during our early plant-eating years; it's dwindled down to little since we started eating more digestible foods.

1. Male nipples
Because, why?

Kings of Leon 'Only By The Night'

The fourth offering from the Followill brothers find them reconnecting with their southern roots, reaffirming their country origins whilst writing blistering and powerful rock numbers. Here you will find far heavier numbers than they have written to date which sit rather comfortably next to some down-tempo songs. This is a fine edition to their already stunning back catalogue.

Even without a top ten hit before this album, they have comfortably commanded attention at the festival stages based upon their grass root fan-base alone. Despite a number of unfavorable reviews, this album vaults them into stadium-filling greatness. It is full of winning formulas, not quite their magnum opus yet, but still truly great.

Crawl and Sex on Fire are probably the greatest things they have ever produced with a disco-infused rock feel which sounds terrible on paper but is truly magnificent and makes you want to dance and sing along. Up-tempo numbers submerge into slow anthems, epic guitars and big choruses which admittedly can plod along in places, as many have pointed out, but I can actually feel myself at a festival listening to this entire album and not feeling the slightest bit disappointed.

No overproduction here; in fact it’s perfect, great music and if this album is a mere blimp in their pursuit for rock and roll greatness which, let’s face it, what they do the best then this change of direction will stand the test of time as one of the best in their back catalogue.

More Welcome and unwelcome visitors!

Yet again another weekend typhoon is upon us. There is some slight relief this time as tomorrow is a day off work. Apparently this typhoon is the biggest to hit Taiwan this year so far. Named Typhoon JangMi. It made landfall at Ilan today Sunday September 28th at 3:40pm with the highest gusts seen in Taipei city of 118kmph. The eye of the storm is expected to be past Taiwan by Monday September 29th at around 4 to 5am.

On a brighter note Willemein and Destin came to Taipei this weekend. We ended up at fresh (slightly uneventful as i was there last weekend too!) and had a good time. Apart from that the weekend has been fairly relaxing and uneventful. Have been taking the time to relax before the start of another long week.

Top Five Songs Of The Moment

1. Sparks ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’
2. Kings of Leon ‘Sex On Fire’
3. Heart ‘Alone’
4. The Verve ‘Sit and Wonder’
5. The Temptations ‘Ball Of Confusion’

James Bond Theme Tunes: The Best and Worst

With the release of Alicia Keys and Jack White’s theme for the new James Bond movie I thought now was a good time to review songs of old. It is the 22nd bond theme tune and the first duet. Here is a run down of the best and worst theme tunes in my personal opinion. (I have neglected the two instrumental pieces namely the main theme tune from Dr. No and the Clavinet driven instrumental of OHMSS, both of which are pure class by Barry)

The Best
1. Goldfinger (Bassey)
The best opening track of any Bond movie. Sung with a brassy cabaret fervor by the great Shirley Bassey, the very epitome of Bond. The horns, the booming vocals, the inclusion of the original theme within the song. It has it all!

2. Live and Let Die (Wings)
McCartney and Co pull out all the stops for this epic ode to Bond. It’s a dynamic master class in pulse-quickening rock It captures Bond’s various styles, the romance, the high style, the explosion of violence at any minute and a nod to reggae, what else does one need?

3. We Have All The Time In The World (Louis Armstrong)
This poignant ballad is one of the great Louis’ finest moments recorded just before his death. In all fairness he could have made singing the phone directory romantic. A gentle, sweet love song. Pure class.

4. Diamonds Are Forever (Shirley Bassey)
Bassey delivers again with this awesome smoky ode to the love of diamonds over a man. Great on every front and playing to her strengths it is was propelled to the status of an instant classic.

5. The Living Daylights
A controversial choice as most would slate this song from begging to end. It never really got the attention that it deserved. It retains its dramatic foreign flavor and pulsates along stopping for nobody in its path. Much better than it ever got credit for and truly a great Bond theme song

(Two others that just didn’t quite make the mark: You Only Live Twice and Tomorrow Never Dies. Both pure Bond and awesome songs in my opinion)

The Worst

1. Die Another Day (Madonna)
Badly sung, terribly produced, discombobulated electronics, it’s an overcooked calamity. It should have been called ‘Die Today’ as opposed to another day as that’s exactly how I fell after listening to it. At best it is put off listening till another day. The worst Bond theme ever. Sigmund Freud? Please!! Complete tripe!

2. For Your Eyes Only (Sheena Easton)
Annoying on every level. Was this woman actually dared to sing in the style of dying cats? If she were, she pulled it off big time. The song itself is deadly dull and just bad. Hastily written and sung, a complete car crash from start to finish.


3. Moonraker (Shirley Bassey)
Not even the great Shirley Bassey could rescue this monstrosity. Cure for insomnia? I think so. Never to be listened to while driving for fear of sending you to sleep. This dreary ballad was a complete waste of Bassey’s talent and what is with that annoying xylophone all the way through the damn song?

4. The Man With The Golden Gun (Lulu)
Love Lulu, hate the song. On first listen I thought it was a joke. The wrong song and completely bizarre choice of instruments. A cheesy wah-wah guitar and odd middle section just baffles me. “He has a powerful weapon, he charges a million a shot.” Does he now? Innuendo can only be taken so far before it’s just crap. It misses the mark totally.

5. License to Kill
Again, love Gladys Knight, hate the song. The whole feel is just wrong. Whenever it comes on I have to forward this one. Can she actually pronounce the word kill? No matter how many times I have had to endure this song it still never sounds anything like it. I can almost see the smarmy Celine Dion singing this and turning it into a world wide hit. Boring, middle of the road rubbish. License to burn any remaining copies of this single still in production, granted!

Richard Wright: 1943-2008

Pink Floyd keyboardist and founder member Richard Wright has died from cancer at the age of 65. His input is often overlooked when discussing who or what Pink Floyd is. In 2005, the original lineup reunited for the first time in 24 years for a flawless performance at Live 8. Thankfully we are left with this magnificent performance as a memory of such a legendary band.

John McCain Accepts The Republican Nomination For President

Conforming to his maverick image, John McCain has picked the first female Vice President, a slightly controversial person in her own right, Sarah Palin. Lots of attention was focusing upon Palin herself rather than McCain. Her lack of experience, a 17-year-old pregnant unmarried daughter, and who the hell was she anyway? A governor of Alaska, of all places!

Fortunately for the Republicans she turned out to be the darling of the convention, firing up the party faithful using her humble origins, humor and stilettos to attack the Democrats. Yet McCain still had plenty to do, he is the party’s nomination after all.

McCain needs to distance himself from Bush and the fact that he didn’t show up at the convention can only have been a good thing for McCain. Would McCain just be more of the McSame? The attacks on his rivals were effective and overall the speech ticked most of the boxes and contained few to no surprises. However, as expected, he never set the convention on light with his rhetoric. He filled in some details on economic policy and his biggest theme was to regain the trust in the American people.

McCain didn’t set the tone with his speech but more so with the choice of his running mate. This race is by no means over before it has started. Polls for the last couple of months have consistently put the two candidates’ neck-a-neck. One recent poll even put McCain ahead for the first time. Time will tell how this one will pan out.

Some Welcome And Not So Welcome Visitors

The whole of the weekend was marred by a Typhoon. I've been waiting ages for one and then one comes along on a weekend of all days! So this was the not so welcome visitor for the weekend; Typhoon Sinlaku

The Typhoon started affecting Taiwan on Friday and didn't leave until Monday evening. The biggest issue remains the extended period of rainfall due to the storm's very slow speed.
The eye of the storm did finally make landfall - three times: 1:50am Ilan, 10am at Keelung & 6pm at Danshuei / Sanshzi. This means that the eye of storm came to the main island and then left and then returned in a looping pattern. Not unusual for a single loop - but three is quite unprecedented. Meteorologists couldn't recall it happening before.

Trying to not let the Typhoon completely destroy the weekend George and I flitted between going out and staying in watching TV. Friday evening was Shelly and Josh's farewell party before they move to Japan. So we had to brave the typhoon and venture out to Beitou for the $300 all you can drink party. It was actually very nice and even met Blake who i haven't seen in months. We made our way home by taxi in the early hours of the morning.

We spent most of Saturday just lazing around the house watching TV until the evening when we went to Jack's house for a small gathering of people. Steve was also in Taipei so i invited him over and we chatted and drank whilst playing some drinking games. Steve was on a mission to go out so we ended up in Carnegie's. Actually, old men trying to pull young girls aside, the place is good, good beer and good music. A little small and expensive but not a bad place, i think I'd go back there for sure. We got home at about 4am and finished off the evening by watching Bridget Jones' Diary.

Sunday was spent confined to the house due to the obscene levels of rain outside but finally got to watch Sex and the City which was really great, highly recommended! So a good weekend despite the awful weather.

Bald-head adverts for NZ airline

The airline seeks bald fliers to use as "cranial billboards"

New Zealand's national airline is looking for bald passengers to head up a new advertising campaign. The carrier said it wanted 50 passengers to be "cranial billboards" and publicise a new check-in service on their heads. The fliers will be offered money to have their pates temporarily tattooed with the message. The airline said it would pay NZ$1,000 (£380; $666) per head, making it easy money for bald frequent fliers. The airline's marketing manager Steve Bayliss said in a statement: "How better to tell our customers that Air New Zealand is going to do something about [long check-in queues]... than through messaging they can read while they're standing in a queue themselves?"

Grammar Misuse

Tescos recently came under fire for using 'less' rather than 'fewer' in their aisle's stating '10 items or less'. Last time i checked items were countable so why shouldn't it be '10 items or fewer'? Giving in to this, Tescos have no avoided any debate by stating 'up to 10 items'. Pedantic i know, but an interesting analysis of grammar. Ignited by this incident, here are some other common missuses of grammar people have commented about.

1. The one that really annoys me is how people suddenly seem to confuse "have" and "of", as in: "I could of learnt how to write properly." There's no excuse for it!

2. The phrase "for free" is becoming commonplace and is used often on television and it's wrong. It should be "for nothing".

3. That guardian of our language, the BBC, is full of solecisms these days; just one example: 12 pm. There is no such time; "meridian" as in am ("ante meridian" means "before noon") and pm ("post meridian" means "after noon") means midday. The 12th hour is neither before nor after midday. So please, BBC use either midday or noon with midnight the correct term for the other end of the day. This is not being pedantic; in these days of 24-hour days, it is often not readily apparent what time 12 pm might be.

4. If you do something to change a situation, then you "effect" a change. If your circumstances are changed by an action, then the change has caused an "effect". You cannot "affect" a change in something, nor can you be "effected" by one.

5. I get annoyed at the reckless use of apostrophes, for example, the plural of CD can't be CD's.

6. Many people, including public speakers, incorrectly use "I" instead of "me". For instance, they would say "She said some very kind things about George and I", thinking that they are being polite or grammatically correct. An easy way to remember which to use is: if you would say him or her on its own, use me; if you would say he or she on its own, use I. For example, "She said some very kind things about him".

7. Incorrect use of reflexives make my blood boil. I think that for someone to say "yourself" and "myself" when they just mean "you" or "me" is possibly out of a false sense of politeness, or maybe the insidious effect of TV soaps, or both. Those who use it correctly can give "themselves" a pat on the back.

8. How about "none of them is" and "none of them are"? Most people would use the latter whereas the former is correct. "None" is short for "not one" therefore "not one (none) of them is" would be used. Most newsreaders still get it right though - on the BBC anyway!

NOTE: Fowler's Modern English Usage says that "none" is not short for "not one" and although using a singular verb is more common, using a plural verb has also been an acceptable option since the reign of King Alfred.

9. Similar TO, different FROM, compared WITH. Not "to" used for all of them!

NOTE: Fowler's Modern English Usage says: "The commonly expressed view that 'different' should only be followed by 'from' and never by 'to' or 'than' is not supportable in the face of past and present evidence or of logic." It adds that "compare to" is to liken and "compare with" or "compare to" is used to point out similarities and differences. The BBC News website style guide differs with Fowler's on this last point. It says that when pointing out differences, "compare with" should always be used.

10. Here's one they often get wrong on BBC news! BBC reporter: "Then they opened fire on us". This is incorrect. In military terms there are two methods of shooting at an enemy, controlled-fire and open-fire. I.E. you are not opening anything so using the past tense of open is incorrect. The correct expression should be "Then they open-fired on us"

11. I find the increasing, incorrect use of "literally" annoying.... "I literally went blue with anger!!" "Really?" I ask.

12. The proper use of "its" and "it's" seems to confound many people, with "its" being a possessive and "it's" being a contraction of "it is". I've seen this mistake made even in some rather lofty publications.

13. It annoys me when people use "due to" when they mean "owing to". But then I'm a pedant.

NOTE: The BBC News website style guide says "due to" means "caused by" and needs a noun, but "owing to" means "because of" and relates to a verb. Hence, "the visit was cancelled [cancelled is the verb] owing to flooding" is correct. So too is "the flooding [flooding is the noun] was due to weeks of heavy rain".

14. As a secondary teacher, I'm beginning to despair when it comes to "they're", "there" and "their"; not to mention "to", "two" and "too". Why are we so afraid to correct these simple mistakes which make all the difference at a later stage?

15. There is also confusion over lend and borrow. I keep hearing school children asking "to lend your pencil" when what they actually mean is to "borrow" the pencil.

16. I cringe when I hear BBC reporters say "amount of people" when it should be "number of people"

NOTE: Fowler's says "amount" is used with nouns that are not countable, such as "amount of forgiveness" and "amount of glue" - but "number" is used with countable nouns, such as "number of boys" and "number of houses".

17. I don't like it when people say: I can go there "by foot" instead of "on foot"....the right preposition to use is ON.

18. The usage that I find particularly irritating is that of a single noun with a plural verb, for example: "the team are happy with their victory", or "management have congratulated the workforce on the recent increase in productivity". Team is a singular noun so it should read "the team IS happy..." or "the team members ARE happy", the same applies "management HAS congratulated..." Also, what has happened to the word "versus", abbreviated "vs"? Now all we see is "v"; it is even read like that in sports announcements.

NOTE: The BBC News website's style is that sports teams and pop/rock bands are always plural.

19. A classic confusing rule is the one that states that one is supposed never to end a sentence with a preposition. While this is easy and appropriate to follow in most cases, for example by saying "Yesterday I visited the town to which she has just moved" instead of "...the town she has just moved to", it becomes troublesome when the verb structure includes a preposition that cannot be removed from it, as in "At work I am using a new computer with which my manager recently set me up", which cannot correctly be changed to "...I am using a new computer up with which my manager recently set me".

20. Stadiums, as a plural of stadium, rather than stadia.

NOTE: Fowler's says that when dealing with modern sports grounds, rather than ones from the classical world, the plural is "stadiums".

Musical Traits and Personality?

MUSICAL STYLES VERSUS PERSONALITY TRAITS

A new report suggests musical tastes are linked to personality traits. Could this really be true?

BLUES
High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, gentle and at ease

JAZZ
High self-esteem, creative, outgoing and at ease

CLASSICAL MUSIC
High self-esteem, creative, introvert and at ease

RAP
High self-esteem, outgoing

OPERA
High self-esteem, creative, gentle

COUNTRY AND WESTERN
Hardworking, outgoing

REGGAE
High self-esteem, creative, not hardworking, outgoing, gentle and at ease

DANCE
Creative, outgoing, not gentle

INDIE
Low self-esteem, creative, not hard working, not gentle

BOLLYWOOD
Creative, outgoing

ROCK/HEAVY METAL
Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, at ease

CHART POP
High self-esteem, not creative, hardworking, outgoing, gentle, not at ease

SOUL
High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, gentle, at ease

The Script: 'The Script'

A lot of people are going to hate this band; this Dublin trio are no doubt a permanent fixture on the radio with their MOR radio-friendly choruses that engrain themselves into your mind whether you like it or not. Compared, misleadingly, to Maroon 5 they appear to pay homage to Sting than any other artist. Their music is up-tempo pop soul accompanied by funky drumming and a wall of acoustic guitars.

Their unique selling point is their resume which reads like some veteran super-group than a trio of twenty-something’s. Session players, apprentices in LA, producers, and even band boy members, they are being hurled fearlessly onto the world stage.

On first listen it seems unthreatening; bordering into Ronan Keating territory at times, filled with clichés, and infused with some bland ballads along the way, this is by no means a flawless debut. They buff up songs so much with ultramodern aesthetics that it gleams like a shiny new car, tipping the production into slickness territory rather than soul. This makes them almost pathologically cheesy.

However, upon further listening, a more sophisticated sound is revealed. I am genuinely torn between their downfalls and their genuine ability to pen a melodic and likeable hit with great storytelling, and even social commentary in places. It’s confident, polished, and devastatingly effective in places.

There is nothing that stands out as astonishing but their potential for the future is clear to see after this perfectly solid debut album. They have not fully reached their full abilities yet but with time they could be unstoppable.

Barack Obama's Formal Acceptance Speech at the Democratic Convention

As a piece of political theatre it was spot on, the mammoth Stadium, the huge crowd, the raised stage, the columns, the streamers and fireworks; all were designed for the history books. Though the speech itself, in spite of some powerful moments, was not the soaring rhetoric for which he has become known. Instead, the opportunity was made to lay down some specific policy plans and instigate a defiant attack upon his adversary John McCain. Obama presented McCain as an out of touch, Washington insider who has had his day and wasted it; someone who is firmly linked to President Bush and no adherence to change. Obama, on the other hand, clearly used this opportunity to introduce himself as a man of the future and change.

As for policy, there were some eye-catching policies; such as the 95% tax cut for working families, and ending America’s dependency on oil within 10 years. Along with this were some personal moments. He placed himself clearly in line with the ‘American Dream’. There was hardly any mention of his Kenyan roots and more about the American people he has met along his journey.

Obama could have used this convention to lay down the gauntlet rhetorically towards McCain and he would have won hands down. However, he seemed to pass by the chance of a great speech to respond to two points of criticism he has faced; his lack of policy and flimsy attacks upon McCain. It seems that Obama is not as arrogant as many believe when they assume he has the White House in the bag already.

Opposition Rally

Source: BBC News

Thousands of opposition supporters in Taiwan have taken part in a protest in Taipei as President Ma Ying-jeou marked his first 100 days in office. It was the first mass rally against Mr Ma since his inauguration in May, and also comes amid increased worries over his pro-China policies and the economy. The protesters said he was moving too quickly to improve ties with Beijing.

His critics - mainly pro-independence groups and members of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party - took to the streets in the capital, chanting slogans, and rallied outside the presidential office, calling for him to step down. They argue that Mr Ma has been too conciliatory towards China and that his policies have damaged the island's sovereignty.
The president was elected by a landslide in March, promising to work for friendlier ties with China and boost the island's economy.

Last month, the two sides launched regular direct flights for the first time in nearly six decades.
President Ma's administration has also relaxed many restrictions on doing business in China, and allowed more Chinese tourists to visit. The president's office did not comment on the rally, but officials from the governing Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) said the public should not blame the current administration for the island's economic woes but the previous one, which held office for eight years.

They said the public should be protesting against Taiwan's former President, Chen Shui-bian, and his family, who are being investigated over fresh allegations of money laundering involving millions of dollars.

Ruby's Farewell Party

Saturday was Ruby's last weekend in Taiwan before she emigrates to Finland. George and I headed down to Taichung for this monumental occasion. The intention was to get to Taichung for late afternoon but due to our general laziness and a detour at the pizza hut all-you-can-eat buffet, we didn't arrive there until 10:00. After dropping our stuff off we headed to Pig Pen, where else?

A great time was had by all. Was a good send off for her. You will be sorely missed Ruby, good luck in Finland and don't be a stranger...