171 in Manhattan, Christ on a bike! Clever marketing by Starbucks, like were supposed to believe this little stunt was not dreamed up on Madison Avenue.

Many of the women in my office go to the Starbucks near us sometimes three times a day. I added it up and they must have monthly coffee bills exceeding $250.

groovy

I notice wallpaper like that in contemporary Russian porn

LOL, is that what thats for.

Most people don't know it but one Van Gogh's big inspirations was Hiroshige. In fact the Impressionists were inspired by Japanese woodblock prints in general.

"In 1887 van Gogh's admiration for Japanese art forms led him to paint copies of two famous designs of Hiroshige, the great Japanese landscape printmaker. One print is the Bridge in the Rain and the other shows a Plum Tree in Bloom." http://www.artelino.com/articles/van_gogh_japonisme.asp

Nanking massacre real, the two officers officers executions for war crimes may have been real. But the contest may have been propaganda. My feeling is it has a grain of truth, but has been embellished for effect. We see the same propaganda mixed with half truths in Iraq/Afghanistan.

I know wiki isn't the best source but:
"Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi, who, in 2000, undertook one of the most comprehensive studies of the incident ever conducted, reached the conclusion that "the killing contest itself was a fabricated story", but served as a positive influence in Japanese culture, making the Japanese more aware of some of the wartime atrocities that had actually been conducted by the Imperial Japanese Army."

Maybe a Roman soldier or a descendant taken as slave since Rome and Parthia fought many a war. Or a slave bought directly from a Roman slave trader. Who knows

Yeah but what the media really wants to say is

: Submit To Fear Buy More Beer

The shrill alarmist media of today would have none of this 'Keep Calm & Carry On'

More like 'Terrorism Oh Sh*t!'