Bits and pieces

1) More food blogging: Besides gas•tron•o•my which I pointed out a few posts back, there's also The Last Appetite – a pretty slick looking food blog – also based in Vietnam.

2) You might of read about the plastic Russian policeman who helped reduce speeding by his sheer presence -- and presence alone -- last year, while now in Australia a new campaign aims to tease men into slowing down. The "little pinkie" campaign suggests men who speed are compensating for something.
Sixty-one per cent of young males surveyed for the research believed the campaign had the power to make them think about their own driving behaviour, he said.

"This campaign is about saving lives - not pride. If it dents a few egos but helps save a life, then it's worth it," Mr Roozendaal said.

It'll be a while till such an ad might hit this neighbourhood I suppose. I reckon the Russian approach might be duoc-able though. Either that or a huge generic-mother-like figure looming over the traffic lights.

(Cheers to Caitlin for the link...)

3) A local celebrity-gossip blogger will be sued by a singer for defamation... apparently the word 'nymphet' was used... but looking at the singer I'm guessing that's a mistranslation.

4) If you're trying to save petrol money perhaps an Alaskan Malamute is the answer...

5) Flooding has already been a total disaster for some impoverished people in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province in Central Vietnam. After local authorities organised a relocation plan to move houses away from flooded lands, 47 families from Hai Lang were relocated to a hilly area in Hai Lam commune and offered an allowance of VND4.7 million ($300) to build a new house. The families already feeling a bit shortchanged then discovered that the area is a former battle field full of unexploded ordnance. Nearby a sign posted by Renew, an organisation specialising in disarming mines and explosives, warns of the possible dangers of setting foot on the land. Perhaps a mistake made in haste? Unlikely, the plans for the relocation were made 10 years ago.
(Source Timeout)

6) Another bloody 0-0 result for the Minsk Football Club over the weekend -- no review yet but there are a couple of photos – and the strikers are not happy, ahem.

Next week we will be playing at the National Stadium however. That's right – the fortress of My Dinh itself. More on that later...