Despite its economic decline, I find Japan to be quite a stimulatingly open-minded culture now, at least compared to much of South-East Asia. They tend to have a certain fascination for, and a certai… (View Post)

I have a young friend who is very enamoured of the cashless society etc, or at least was. A few weeks ago she was stuck in a dodgy area and her phone went wrong; and since her card was on her phone s… (View Post)

Yes, awful treatment of the Roma, and quite a lot of anti-semitism still, like most of Eastern Europe, but generally a surprisingly rich, varied and diversely originating national culture, and then a… (View Post)

Hmm. At the very least there's a very long way to go. The musical efforts that are not simply extended copies have not impressed composers or music fans alike. I think jobs like Doctor and Chef … (View Post)

Continuing the general German theme, I've often found that the difference between Lidl and many lower-end British supermarkets, and on various fresh and non-fresh goods, is quite staggering. Bet… (View Post)