Car Accident in Russia

Check out how people react to this car accident.

FRAUDONOMICS: 10 FUN FRAUD FACTS

You'll love it.

Toppling Tehran

According to this Dateline report and its impressive-looking sources, the Iranian protesters were close to success.

Demonising public debt has some merit, but it's way overdone

The wonderful Ross Gittins does it again.

I propose a House of Lords-like permanent seat on the Senate for Gittins.

Civilisation goes west, leaving empire on the edge of ruin

The brilliant Niall Ferguson on various things, including my own pet project: Australia's sovereign wealth fund.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/civilisation-goes-west-leaving-empire-on-the-edge-of-ruin-20100725-10qeu.html?autostart=1

Thanks to Ben Wa for the tip.

Rare Haven of Stability in Somalia Faces a Test

In many ways Somaliland is already a state. The autonomous region in north-west Somalia has its own military, currency, borders and national identity. It is also a functioning democracy in a less-than democratic region. While its neighbors in the Horn of Africa struggle with conflict and misrule, Somaliland has held three sets of peaceful national elections. Despite its successes, however, no other countries have recognized Somaliland as an independent state, and the government does not benefit from international aid. For now, this "haven of stability" is stuck in the grey area between autonomous region and sovereign state.

...

Many people here worry that if Somaliland's governing party, UDUB, tries to hold on to power illegitimately, the well-armed populace (this is still part of Somalia, after all) will rise up and Somaliland's nearly two decades of peace could disappear in a cloud of gun smoke.

...

http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/171-emerging/49248-rare-haven-of-stability-in-somalia-faces-a-te.html

Installing Your Own Home Security System

INSTALLING a security system has long been considered the domain of professionals — uniformed men and women who build an electronic shield around your home and monitor it from a command center.

At least that is what the commercials always seem to suggest.

But a new breed of home-security systems promises to be simple enough to install without any professional help, cutting the cost of traditional alarm systems by taking advantage of technologies like wireless connectivity and battery-operated sensors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/garden/01hometech.html?src=me&ref=general