In a town lacking women, Joe was surprised by but still pleased with his new mail-order bride.

My wife likes the Indonesia "jalan jalan" which means to stroll or walk about, usually with the purpose of "resting one's eyes".

I often use the word "shadenfreuden" - finding humor in others misfortunes.

It would be nice to see a larger list of words difficult to translate into English.

Garden State:

http://manolomen.com/images/Garden%20State%20wallpaper.jpg

I believe the "enemy" of Walmart is not so much the employer practices as the 'sell so cheap it puts local stores out of business' practices and the 'sell cheap crap that creates jobs overseas, taking US jobs away, and all that crap ends up in our landfills' practices. And yes, Target does it too. And while Target has a bit more American brands and gives more back to local communities, the lesser of 2 evils is still evil. Just saying.

Wow! Science Fiction movie fans are very serious people. I'm not so sure about a lot of the points made in this article - there are many exceptions and assumptions - but as for the first point - no, there is no sound in a vacuum, no sound in space. George Lucas actually discussed this with Ben Burtt. He chose to forgo physics and go with a more emotional effect. Glad he did.

http://filmsound.org/starwars/dramatic.htm

You should mention how the movie has been so embraced by so many religions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/07/fashion/07HOG.html?ex=1386133200&en=3082936c025c787a&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND

Who authorized the erection of this sign?

And the pic before the one I posted is even more disturbing. Ignore it. For your own sake.

Here's more IKEA toys (including the rollie pollie):
http://www.notcot.com/archives/2007/10/ikea_toys.php

Saw this on Flickr... I doubt it's actually a baby storage device.

http://flickr.com/photos/jennyleesilver/2683764567

Nice to see that the cardboard box made it in before the stick. Although, I did play with sticks more than boxes.

I wonder when they'll induct matches? Ah, the memories.

Yes, this happened last year. Remember?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/08/1999202.htm?section=justin

I've always been hot on Velma from Scooby Doo. Smart chicks in glasses, baggy sweaters and mini skirts? Woo-woo!

My question - how would a fictional character consent to marriage?

"...and as he floundered, searching his sole for - no, wait, wait, I haven't gotten to the punch line yet!"

I like the Galaxy.

D-san - the owners of the buildings lost their mortgage and the banks now own the buildings. It's the renters who pay their bills on time that get evicted.