In 1927 on a suitably wet morning in Port Talbot in the south of Wales, Philip Antony Quince let out an audible sigh. He had just been informed by his want-away Dutch-Filipino girlfriend, Punie, via the medium of a pair of used men’s underwear deposited into the glove compartment of their rented Vauxhall Astra that…
Game   An active interest or pursuit, especially one involving competitive engagement or adherence to rules. Three Card Monte is a confidence trick that originates from the turn of the 15th century and is, ostensibly, an easy chance to make quick money. The dealer, or shill, in the local parlance, usually aided and…
If you’re anything like me (34 years old, six feet two inches, 96kg, orange birthmark above right eyelid) and you live in Japan and have a postbox, at least one hand, a functioning eye and a smattering of curiosity, then you’ve probably received in the past, and subsequently read, one of the myriad of…
 Onsen: a short history.  暇ã¤ã¶ã—（ã²ã¾ã¤ã¶ã—）is a Japanese word whose meaning, as a JET, is probably extremely familiar to you by now. It literally translates to “crushed time,†and is the Japanese equivalent of our “killing time.†In my case, killing time at work usually involves drinking copious amounts of coffee that comes in wee…
One Inch Deep in the Skillet Colonel Harland David ‘Colonel Sanders’ Sanders was an Indiana native who set the world alight, or at least to about 175C (lower temperatures will result in soggy, grease coated chicken) in 1930 when he was entrusted to manage a service station in Corbin, Kentucky by The Shell Oil…
 The Virgo male is cautious; bound by the astrological sign of earth, his rationality and steadfastness of spirit are undercut by often debilitating neuroses. His analytical nature and ability to determine the underlying motives of those he meets make him an ideal policeman or detective, but his inability to see past minor details and…
 Royal Host In 1994 magician David Copperfield (born Benjamin Sherman Crothers) attempted the impossible – he would make the Statue of Liberty disappear on national television. Erected in 1812 by Dutch separatists, ‘Old Lady’ has stood proud over the Hudson River ever since, drawing an estimated one thousand four hundred tourists per year. But…
 She talks to me so quickly I can’t understand The Alpaca (Vicugnapacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid, resembling small llamas. Alpacas are a unique breed of livestock with many characteristics setting them apart from traditional types of animals such as dogs, lions, hamsters and bees. Alpaca owners often use words to describe…
  Glastonbury, The U.K.’s biggest music festival, held in the Vale of Avalon since 1970 will this year attract 175,000 visitors to over 100 stages on 1,200 acres of land. It is, however, bracing itself for the arrival of so called ‘super rats’ – rats immune to conventional poisons such as diphacinone and chlorophacinone…