moscow.ru

Resource-poor Japan just discovered a new source of mineral wealth — sewage. A sewage treatment facility in central Japan has recorded a higher gold yield from sludge than can be found at some of the world’s best mines. The high percentage of gold found at the facility was probably due to the large number of precision equipment manufacturers in the vicinity that use the precious metal. The facility recently recorded finding 1,890 g of gold per ton of ash. That is a far higher gold content than Japan’s Hishikari Mine, one of the world’s top gold mines, which contains 20 to 40 g per ton of ore. Pisces, you too might be near a gold mine and not know it. If you’re strapped for cash or resources these days, something in your own home might provide the answer.

A passionate necking session ruptured a young woman’s eardrum in southern China, in what has been dubbed the “kiss of deaf.” The 20-something girl from Zhuhai city in the Guangdong province was treated by hospital doctors after completely losing the hearing in her left ear. “The kiss reduced the pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear,” the treating doctor said, adding that the woman’s hearing would likely recover in about two months. The incident prompted newspapers to dispense kissing safety advice. While kissing is normally very safe, doctors urge people to proceed with caution, the China Daily reported. Aries, I’m not saying anything about your skills (or common sense) as a lover, but things might go awry this week. A present you bought your girlfriend or boyfriend might turn into a heated argument.

When the Poway Unified School District near San Diego, California, cut teachers’ printing budgets this year, some handout-intensive instructors had to dip into their own pockets to keep their students supplied. Calculus teacher Tom Farber decided in September to sell ad space on page one of his exams at $10 and for up to $30 on the semester final. As of November, he told the San Diego Union-Tribune that only parent-sponsored inspirational messages have been bought but he would welcome certain retailers’ ads. Times are lean, we all know. But you might find a way to get a small source of extra income, albeit in unconventional ways. Don’t be discouraged if your ideas turn out to be duds — there must be one out there which will work. Trust more in diligence than inspiration this month and you will be rewarded.

We would all do well to bear in mind these words by Sydney J. Harris: “If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size?” Don’t take it literally and argue back; you know what he means. These days, stress might be making you intolerant and impatient. While this is completely understandable, you won’t help yourself either by being snappy and easily irritated. Try to have a heart, try not to be quick in your judgments, do not narrow your vision. The rewards and benefits you will reap, in the shape of gratitude and love, will far outweigh the little but constant effort it takes.

A man wearing a black dress, matching stockings and a long blonde wig robbed a bank at gunpoint in Sydney, but blew his disguise by failing to shave, police said. The unshaven cross-dresser tied up three employees of the Commonwealth Bank in Sydney as they were opening for the day before fleeing on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. If you think you’ve come up with an original and infallible plan, don’t count on it; an oversight is all it takes to undermine your plans. The oversight will be visible and obvious to everyone but you, so the only advice I have to give you is to stick to your usual routine this week and not try to pull off any extraordinary tricks.

Ms. Hang Mioku, 48, has been obsessed with cosmetic surgery for 20 years, having been at one time bulked up with enough silicone in her face to earn the nickname “The Standing Fan” because her head was so large compared to her legs. Hang moved from South Korea to Japan for better access to surgery and said that each procedure in her odyssey only made her more beautiful than the last. When finally no surgeon would treat her, she began injecting cooking oil. Finally, she was talked into face-reduction surgery (removal of 260 grams of foreign substance from her head and neck) but she remains grotesquely misshapen. Sleek, smart Leos, you’ve always been stylish and fashionable, but perhaps there are other priorities in life. I know you always like to look your best, but not everyone judges you on appearances alone. Perhaps it’s time to relax your image and concentrate on other things. Relax a bit. No one is going to shun you for not wearing the right shade of jeans with that jacket.

A 16-year-old Ukrainian girl had her hair stolen as she was traveling by train through the central Russian city of Tula. According to reports in the Ukrainian press, the girl was traveling to Moscow from Ukraine in order to visit her sister. She never cut her hair and it grew to be a meter and a half long. At night, the girl was woken by suspicious noise and saw that a man in a black hooded jumper was cutting off her braid with scissors. The victim switched the lights on and sounded the alarm, but the thief managed to get away with the hair. Train conductors tried to find the criminal, but their efforts proved to be in vain. Good natural hair is not cheap, and in Moscow, prices can reach $1,500 per kilogram. Virgos and Samsons, beware — you’re likely to be targeted in an unusual attack these weeks. You might think that it’s only your wallet, iPod and mobile which are targeted by scoundrels, but there may be something else you hadn’t even thought of. Better safe than sorry, so keep an eye on all your belongings — and parts of your body. Just in case.

Said Indian philosopher Swami Vivekananda, “If faith in ourselves had been more extensively taught and practiced, I am sure a very large portion of the evils and miseries that we have would have vanished.” Perhaps a little more faith in yourself is what it takes to make a difference, Libras. If you can’t be happy with yourself, you can’t be happy with the world or what’s in it. I know it’s all rather vague, but let’s start on an everyday basis — stop sighing and lamenting your circumstances and try to believe that you are taking small but sure steps in the right direction. Right now the stars are auspicious for a change, so take advantage of that!

I seem to be writing inordinately often about sandwich-related cases of domestic violence, so here’s a story with some of the details changed — this time it’s a cheeseburger. A police report said a 22-year-old man and his girlfriend got into an argument as they sat in a car in front of their home. The report said the man would not let the woman out of the vehicle, so she threw his drink out of the car. In response, the man allegedly grabbed her arm and smashed the cheeseburger into her face. The pair got out of the car and authorities say the man again took the McDonald’s sandwich and put it on her face. Bad, bad, very bad. First of all, let’s get out of the car first. A confined space is not the place to have an argument, let alone a fight. Scorpios, be warned — I know you’re putting up with a lot in your life already and sometimes it seems like you’re going to blow a fuse. In that case, just walk away. Distance yourself from it; tell yourself that if you’re still angry about it in a few hours, or better yet, the next morning, then you can address the offending person or circumstances. It’s worked with me and I recommend it highly. Smart people choose their arguments and fights. That’s why they are smart.

There’s a famous Russian proverb of which you Sags best take heed: “If you are a host to your guest, be a host to his dog also.” That should ring a bell for some of us. Maybe there’s someone or something in your life that you like and accept, but cannot like some things associated with them. But it’s usually not so easy to separate the proverbial guest from his dog; things never come alone and disconnected. That you do not like dogs and don’t want to play butler to them is evident, but, in real life, doing so might prove beneficial, so try your best to go that extra mile to accomodate someone these coming weeks.

Said Henry Ward Beecher, “I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note — torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.” Holding a grudge against someone, Capris? Let it go. Let it go, I say. Remembering an injury is worse than nursing a viper to your bosom. And frankly speaking, it does you much more harm than it does to the other person. When you decide to forgive, forget. Forget it ever happened. It’ll make breathing much easier for you.

In a recent report about good driving under the influence excuses, a Swedish newspaper revealed the story of a 56-year-old woman who claimed that although she had been drinking her driving was not affected because she had remembered to keep one eye closed so as not to be seeing double. Maybe the woman was trying to prove that anyone that witty cannot be drunk? Nah. Aquarius, your excuses and stories are often phantasmagorical, and while it’s often fascinating to listen to you, sometimes we just can’t take you seriously. This week, don’t try to be original and don’t try to make excuses for your mistakes. Plodding along the beaten path doing nothing exceptional may seem boring to you, but it would serve you well for a while.