[automobile] la mini change déjà sans pourtant marquer de rupture avec le précédent modèle

Nouvelle, pas nouvelle ? Le pas de deux qu'entame BMW autour de sa dernière-née sous la marque Mini, qui sera l'une des vedettes du Mondial de Paris le 30 septembre, témoigne au minimum d'une prudence de Sioux, au pire d'un malaise lié à l'image même que le constructeur souabe veut donner à la légendaire marque anglaise.

Cinq ans après le remake magistralement réussi d'une voiture qui, durant les quarante ans précédents, n'avait guère changé, BMW mesure la chance qu'il a d'avoir touché aussi juste.

« L'hypothèse ... read more here.

[love and all that] marry for looks: the power of self-delusion

Following the disintegration of Shane Warne's marriage, infidelity was back on the public discussion list.

Perhaps the discussion should have been about why women would choose such partners to father their children in the first place. I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard my women friends conclude from their failed Adonis connection: ‘All men are cheats.’

No, not all men are cheats – just the washboard stomach and chiselled jaw brigade [check Sam’s current blog for an example].

University of Western Australia researcher Dr Gillian Rhodes found that the more handsome the man, the more ... read more here.

[far-east] chinese weapons are perpetuating conflict

A damning report by Amnesty International, released yesterday, states: "China is fast emerging as one of the world's biggest, most secretive and most irresponsible arms exporters."

It accuses China of engaging pariah regimes such as Sudan, Zimbabwe and Iran, and says Chinese-made handguns are reaching criminal gangs from South Africa to Australia. The report cites regular military shipments to Burma's junta, and the export of helicopters, military trucks, guns and ammunition to Sudan's government, helping to perpetuate "widespread killings, rapes and abductions" in Darfur.

China also continued to supply thousands of ... read more here.

[far-east] china sits back and stirs the pot

Interesting that Stephen Pollard should run an article on China at exactly the same time as I'd prepared this:

Chinese writing often describes the future in terms of the Warring States era in Chinese history; the age in which the classics of Chinese statecraft were produced. According to interviews with the current Chinese military, these stories are embedded in Chinese culture, just as the West has its own history and its own literature. The military calls the future multipolar world "amazingly similar" to the Warring States era and declares that China's future security environment resembles the era in several ways.

Colonel Liu Chungzi of the National Defense University Strategy Department states that "in the 1990s, the world entered a multipolar era very similar to the time of Sun Zi." General Gao Rui, former Vice President of the Academy of Military Science (AMS), writes that the era is "extremely distant from modern times, but still shines with the glory of truth" and "the splendid military legacy created through the bloody struggles of ... read more here.

[la europe] de violents incendies aussi touchent l'espagne et le portugal

Après un mois de juillet relativement calme, la saison des incendies a repris avec force en Espagne – qui connaît sa troisième année de sécheresse consécutive –, et au Portugal, faisant trois morts, sans toutefois atteindre encore l'ampleur de 2005. Le week-end a été destructeur en Galice ainsi qu'en Catalogne et au Portugal, où plus d'une centaine de feux, dont une majorité hors de contrôle, restaient actifs lundi 7 août.

L'auteur présumé d'un feu de forêt meurtrier à Cerdedo, en Galice (nord-ouest de l'Espagne), a été arrêté. L'identité de ce jeune homme de 24 ans n'a pas été révélée. L'incendie, qui n'est toujours pas maîtrisé, a causé ... read more here.

[health and spirit] 14 foods you really should consider

Exercise, sleep, spiritual harmony and good diet – they’ll go a long way to creating well-being. Good diet without the others goes only part of the way so those diet fans out there are only doing one quarter of the job if they think it’s all they need to do.

However, regarding diet, if you get most of the following foods running through your system, and wean yourself off the junk, the results will speak for themselves. Include these in your diet and you’ll not regret it ... read more here.