The time of year when there is a convergence of holidays is upon us. Halloween is in less than a week away. My son couldn't wait to carve our pumpkins so, now they are rotting on our porch. And here Matthew's already brought up Christmas in his post on fuzzy breast-shaped toys, all the rage in Japan. In addition to the Halloween build-up, and the beginning hum of holidays yet to come, I've noticed a range of posts that offer up the kind of chit chat information you might toss out at a party. Did you know that. . . ?

1. You can fight global warming by eating chicken.
2. Pigs can be trained to jump through fire.
3. Chewing betel nuts does a real number on your teeth.
4. Sex is the word that is Googled the most in India, Egypt and Turkey.
5. There is a way to pee in privacy on the side of the road.

And one more...

Philadelphia has the least attractive people. (Sorry again to Philadelphia, as this can't possibly be true.)

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Stories, Egypt, Burma (Myanmar), India, Japan, Thailand, Turkey