Still, no one can deny the importance of this task. I am pretty sure that the editing staff at Penguin Group Australia is beating themselves up for a “slight” proofreading error. What happened?

A cookbook dubbed the Pasta Bible has been published and released with a typo. So what’s the big deal? We all know that despite the rigorous processes involved in writing, editing, and publishing books, things do slip by people. That’s why we are called human.

In the case of the Pasta Bible, however, the slip is quite a significant one: one recipe calls for “salt and freshly ground black people!”

Obviously, this one-word typo is simply that – a typo. The implications of the incorrect word and the possible repercussions are quite intimidating, though.

On the part of Penguin, they are downplaying the issue. Bob Sessions, the head of publishing, says that it is nothing but a “silly” mistake, and agrees that the proofreader should have caught it. He further says that “We’re mortified that this has become an issue of any kind and why anyone would be offended, we don’t know. We’ve said to bookstores that if anyone is small-minded enough to complain about this … silly mistake, we will happily replace (the book) for them.”

Tactical Nuclear Penguin is a new beer created by a Scottish microbrewery, and it is being touted as the strongest beer in the world. With a 32% alcohol content, it has set a new record for beers! The beer was actually released in November of last year, but it is reaching the shores of the United States only now.

Think about it, how much alcohol content does that average American beer have? You’ll be lucky if you can get more than 5%. At 32% alcohol content, Tactical Nuclear Penguin has more than 6 times the punch!

According to the inventors of this beer, they were able to increase the alcohol content by that much thanks to a technique that involves freezing the brew to as low as -6 degrees Celsius (that’s 21 degrees Fahrenheit). Since beer freezes at a much lower temperature than water, the process allows for the removal of water from the brew, leaving more alcohol. Nifty, huh?

Naturally, some sectors aren’t happy about this. Not at all. Then again, the bottle does have a warning label:

“This is an extremely strong beer; it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. It is exactly the same manner you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost.”

All I can say is that I can’t wait to have a sip. Or two.

So far, six people have been reported dead, although the numbers are expected to rise within the day, when more information can be gathered. Buildings have collapsed, telephone lines and power lines are down, and a tsunami was triggered by the quake.

MSNBC reports more on the tsunami, which can affect other countries as well:

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Chile and Peru, and a less-urgent tsunami watch for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.

The U.S. west coast tsunami warning center said it did not expect a tsunami along the west of the U.S. or Canada but was continuing to monitor the situation.

Monitor your local news and online agencies for more updated information on the Chile earthquake, which is classified under the label great. As a point for comparison, the Haiti earthquake was a magnitude 7.0.

At first glance, I can already foresee questions arising. What is the definition of outrage? What is a substantial number?

Don’t get me wrong – I am a person of very strong faith and religious ties. However, the whole thing about the government enacting such a law seems a little off to me. Atheist groups and other similar entities in Ireland are reacting a bit more – as can only be expected.

A group called Atheist Ireland actually went as far as to publish content on its web site. What they did was to collect quotes from famous and respected people – quotes which can be considered blasphemous under the law. Interestingly enough, the quotes came from figures such as Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and Pope Benedict XVI – all religious icons. By doing this, the group might just get in trouble with the law.
Do you think that this law will hold water? Is it still applicable considering the time?

Architects – according to statistics, many architects did not survive the year. A whopping 17.8 percent lost their jobs in the first three quarters of 2009 alone! This is not really that surprising as not many were into building in the past year.

Carpenters – what happened to the architects happened to carpenters as well. Throughout the various levels of the carpentry profession, job losses were experienced in the past year. The numbers are quite shocking – around 270,000 carpenters lost their jobs in 2009.

Pilots – now this is quite a surprise, isn’t it? I would have thought that being a pilot afforded reasonable job security. However, all the issues facing the airline industry also extended to the pilots. In the past year, jobs for pilots (as well as flight engineers) spiraled down by 30.4 percent!

Computer (software) engineers – this is also a surprise for me. I have always thought that this profession was stable. The figures quoted were for the American job market, though; and the reason for the decline in jobs was that they were outsourced to countries where the labor is cheaper.

There is a longer list at MSN if you’re interested.

Now enough bad news. In a couple of days, we will be leaving 2009 behind and we will be welcoming a brand new year. Let’s take on a more positive outlook, shall we?

These figures are the results of a yearly study that takes a look at culture and resources for reading in the major cities all across the country. There are six indicators to check literacy:

1. Newspaper circulation
2. Number of bookstores
3. Library resources
4. Periodical publishing resources
5. Educational attainment
6. Internet resources

This year’s study couldn’t have come at a better time. Figures for the circulation of print newspapers have declined while online newspapers are getting more hits. Some sectors have hinted that the reason for the decrease in interest in print newspapers is due to the online versions. However, Jack Miller of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut says that this is not true, despite the popular opinion. In fact, he mentions that cities which have high circulation figures also have corresponding high numbers of people going online to read newspapers. The same thing applies for bookstores – both online and offline.

If you live in any of these two cities, you ought to be proud. If not, then perhaps you should start a personal campaign to help increase literacy – if not in your city, then at least at home!

Now you would think that having 18 children would be enough to take measures NOT to have more. It’s not so for the Duggars! They have managed to raise their children in an amazing way, and their lives are perfect examples of practical living. Actually, just recently, they built a 7000 sq. ft. home debt free!

Their adventure is not over yet, though – eight months after Michelle gave birth to Jordyn-Grace (the 18th child), she found out that she was pregnant again! She is due to give birth in March, several months after the first Duggar grandchild is due. Yup, the eldest son, John, and his wife, Anna, are expecting their first child in October. This family is something else, isn’t it?

Number of kids aside, the Duggars have been role models for many families around the world. Jim and Michelle have done an astounding job in raising their children. Perhaps more parents out there – new and experienced alike – might learn a thing or two from them!

Which country has the fastest Internet connection? If you are thinking the United States, think again! The Communications Workers of America (CWA) recently conducted a survey to rank the countries of the world based on the speed of their Internet connection. The results were published in a report, and guess what? South Korea ranked number 1 with the average download speed of 20.4 megabits per second!

Compared to that speed, the United States lags far behind at only 5.1 mbps. In fact, the US ranked only 28th. The other top “scorers” are Japan with 15.8 mbps, Sweden with 12.8 mbps, and the Netherlands with 11.0 mbps.

So just how fast is the Internet in the top countries? In Japan, for example, users can upload a video in high def within 12 minutes. Compare this to the 2.5 hours it would take the average American to do the same thing.

Who tested the speeds? Speedmatters.org was the one responsible for the testing and the organization reported that from 2008 to 2009, the average speed in the US increased by a mere nine-tenths of a megabit per second. The outlook does not seem very bright, as there does not seem to be any indication that the US will be making any significant progress in improving infrastructure.

On the bright side, President Obama has promised to make broadband available to every home in the US. While that does not mean that the speeds will increase, at least more people should be able to gain access to the Internet.

So this is what has been going around the Internet, mainly through e-mails: this picture of a sculpture which is a juxtaposition of humans and dogs. I know that dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend but this sculpture just does not evoke nice and positive feelings in me. Take a look at it again and you just might have an idea of what I am talking about.

The sculpture is the brainchild of Sam Jinks. This particular photo shown is titled “The Young Family,” and is actually part of a larger collection dubbed “We Are Family.” The hybrids in this collection, as you can see, are more human-like than dog-like, but the similarities still do not easily with the average person.

If you want to see more of these strange creatures, you just need to go to Patricia Piccinini’s web site. Not a familiar name? Here is a short description from the National Gallery of Victoria:

She is keenly interested in how contemporary ideas of nature, the natural and the artificial are changing our society. Specific works have addressed concerns about biotechnology, such as gene therapy and ongoing research to map the human genome… she is also fascinated by the mechanisms of consumer culture.

Indeed, this collection supports that, doesn’t it? What can you say about the sculpture?

According to the FDA, however, there are certain hand sanitizers that do you more harm than good. Hand sanitizers and skin protectants made by Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory in Roy, Utah have been seized by the government. The FDA has released warnings about these products and say that they actually contain harmful bacteria.

I think that I have heard of something similar to this last year, that hand sanitizers may not be the best way to go. I didn’t really think much of it, though. After all, so many people have been using these products for the longest time, and there was no “official” warning about them. Personal experience with the hand sanitizers has not shown any adverse effects as well.

With this piece of news, I am changing my stance. Although I do not think that any of my hand sanitizers are made by Clarcon, I cannot be sure that all the other hand sanitizers are safe. Maybe good old isopropyl alcohol – the 70 percent kind and not the 40 percent kind – is a better choice. The reports didn’t really mention anything about this but I think that I shall stock up on it anyway.