Herro Flom Japan

Seriously, I get heart palpitations when I imagine Sarah Palin as second in line to a 73 year old president whose father and grandfather both died before age 72. She's in waaaay over her head. Three years ago she was the ceremonial figurehead for a small town in Alaska. Three years from now she could be calling the shots. I don't care what she looks like or sounds like. This ain't no joke.

Not so seriously, here's a funny YouTube video. I think I'll watch it again and have some more whiskey.

It's Friday, I'm starting on my way home and I was hungry for a snack so I bought a bag of tempura fried squid. They look like potato chips or some other salted carbohydrate snack. Apparently, if you're not eating them, they don't smell so nice. I was eating them out of the bag when I got on the train and instantly all the women around me covered their faces with their handkerchiefs. One woman moved to another part of the train. I took the hint and twisted the bag shut until I got off at my stop then ate the rest in the open air.

Next time, I'll wait to get home to eat them. Tony likes stinky food so we'll eat them together.

Don't know how it got there, but it sure livened things up yesterday.

As is already possible for other major cities around the world, you can now use Google Maps to virtually drive around Tokyo and enjoy 360 degree views of the cityscape. Here's Shibuya Crossing.

Here's how I keep them straight in my head.

• I start with Iran by remembering the phrase, "She is from Iran." Iran is Shi'ite.
• I recall the mistake McCain made saying that Iran was training al Qaeda. That is incorrect because al Qaeda is the opposite, Sunni.
• Osama Bin Laden is from Saudi Arabia, which makes the country Sunni.
• Most in the world are Muslims are the same as Saudi Arabia, Sunni.
• Iraq is between Iran and Saudi Arabia, so they're approximately half Shi'ite and half Sunni, but they're politically closer to Iran, so a slight majority of Iraqis are Shi'ite.

How does that work for you?