Travels in Xanadu-du : the Joking Cousins Back-Story!
The most civilized people in the world are The Joking Cousins of Xanadu-du...The ruler who established the African country of Mali created peace by pairing the warring tribes. He told each pair, "now you are Family. You have to help each other because you are all cousins". If a pair of tribes had a special hatred for each other, he introduced a third tribe as a mediator, saying the three tribes are family now. At first pairs found it difficult to get along. What they did was make fun of each other. "You are the tribe of the long noses!", "You are the tribe whose feet stink!" The Tribes would greet each other like this when they met. Gradually the hatred subsided but the ‘making fun’ remained. It remains today and harming or not helping or supporting a Joking Cousin is considered very bad. Xanadu-du invites you to become one of its Joking Cousins. Membership is FREE, but we do encourage you to make a donation that goes to charitable works in Borko and the Dogon region of Mali. You will enter a world where everything you do is a crime! You have to give bizarre explanations; cousins will insult you; even if you are the most dour individual on Earth you will break into a smile ... then laughter. Featured Stories
Sleeping time As we all know, age is venerated in Xanadu-du. The Government has recently decided to reward 'age' in a practical way. All cousins are now allowed 'afternoon sleeping time'.....ast for short. The formula is 1 minute for every year over 35. The Goverment realises for some of the oldest cousins this will mean they will rise at midday and go to sleep again at 12:15...........If you wish to meet or communicate with these Elders, we suggest a very short interview arranged well in advance, and to excuse their eating. The one meal has to be eaten quite quickly and this can be noisy. ... Adisa of Unad, 15/06/2007 MORE>>
the termites of xanadu-du all have names After years of extensive research and observation it has been discovered that all termites in Xanadu-du have their own individual names. Hi-tech listening devices (a little like ear-trumpets but more sophisticated) have picked up communications (conversations between particular individuals). It is early days for translation but it seems the names range from 'the one who eats all the honey' to 'big tits' (unclear whether the latter is male or ... Adisa of Unad, 02/06/2007 MORE>>
Escaped electrons Today at work I attempted to learn how to use a scanning tunnelling electron microscope. I spent a good deal of time trying to focus the thing, but I did not see so much as one solitary electron. Personally I believe this is because I came too late and the electrons had all long since tunnelled their way to freedom. In fact I am quite certain that I caught a brief glimpse of a tiny atom-sized ... Chanecia2 of Dan, 20/04/2007 MORE>>
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