Although much of Europe has been pummeled by an unprecedented heat wave, here in Ulaan Baatar it has been surprisingly cool and rainy this summer. That has not, however, stopped palm trees from popping up, as shown here:


Palms Flourish in Ulaan Baatar (the sign reads "American Tents")

Also see My World Wide Wanders

Norway fights back against US Seafood Imperialism: see "American Lobsters Wanted Dead or Alive-$140 Bounty".

Message to a Certain Sino: glad you liked the Smiths CD. I haven't heard it but music cognoscente Big Al says it is OK . . .

The Sceptored Isle is, according to our correspondents, suffering from an unprecedented heat wave. Not everyone is roasting, however: see "Heatwave Claims Frostbite Victim".

For more photos of my recent 10-day trip to the Khentii Mountains see Burkhan Khaldun Khora.

Young Horseperson in the Upper Kherlen River Valley

More to come . . .

Just returned from a 120 mile horseback trip around Burkhan Khaldun Mountain in Khentii Province. With me were, from left to right, Zevgee, Bira, Utzee, and Khishigee.

''Ah,'' he says, ''we got some crazy people around here. I wouldn't make too much of it.'' This is directed quote from Tom Foy of Berlin, Pennsylvania, from "Who's a Hero Now? in the New York Times. This has never been a very well-kept secret, but now the whole English-speaking world knows about it!

More antics from Germany: Flying Underpants Cause Highway Crash. It just never seems to end . . .

Irrepressible blognoscente Big Al has wondered if all Mongolian herdsman in the countryside wear baseball caps. Well, baseball caps are ubiquitous (with NY Yankees caps being perhaps the most popular), but there are some diehards who prefer traditional headgear, as shown in this photo.

Mongolian wrestlers beware: Tots from the country of Georgia are bulking up and getting ready to take on the world. See Giant Preschoolers Wrestle, Eat Ice Cream.


Four-year-old Georgian wrestler Khotokhov weighs in at 56 kilos

When I got back from Gov-Altai I had 874 messages in my hotmail.com account. All but two were junk mail (thanks, JOR and Zoe; where the heck are you, Big Al?). About half of the 874 concerned penis enlargement schemes. Has someone leaked my medical records? Anyhow, to combat this flood of "Hey you, pindick!" type messages I have now set my hotmail.com junk mail filter to "Exclusive". This means that if you have not already sent me a message at hotmail and I have not saved your address I will not receive any new messages you send to my hotmail.com address. I suggest you use the email address given above.

The weirdness emanating out of Germany never seems to end. Today it's a Trifecta: See Everyone's Worst Nightmare. See also Monkey Visits German Pizzeria, Vandalizes Toilet. See also German Pensioner in Bid for Gallstone World Record.