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We all misbehave at times, but we think of monks as being above all that, since they are supposedly more ascetic than the ordinary man. However, secret video footage shows monks from a Buddhist temple in South Korea drinking, smoking and playing high-stakes poker at luxury lakeside hotel, where they had gathered for a fellow monk’s memorial service, days before the holiest day of the religion’s calendar.

The order has 10 million followers (about a fifth of the Korean population). Seongho, one of the senior monks, got the video clip from a camera that had been hidden in the hotel (but he won’t say who hid it).
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Engineers are working on a car that drives itself, but what may come first is a car that doesn’t let YOU drive when you’ve had too much to drink.

In 1982, about 49% of drivers killed in car wrecks had blood-alcohol levels of 0.08 or higher. By 1994, that percentage had dropped to about 33%, where it has stayed ever since.

The solution? Develop a car with a breathalyzer in the dashboard sot you have to breathe into it before the car will start (thus designated drivers will become "designated puffers," whose breath contains no alcohol. Alas, this may still allow the inebriated driver to actually drive).
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Water is becoming something that is in short supply, meaning we may soon be drinking reclaimed wastewater, especially in the desert states of the West (which, ironically, are the fastest-growing areas of the US). We know our drinking water is laced with prescription medicines, but WHAT ELSE is in there–and can it be removed before we drink it?

San Diego is trying to do just that, with a water treatment plant that cost $13 million and produces a million gallons of potable water daily.
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The Japanese (Japanese men are reported to drink quite heavily) say they have the cure for a hangover: Blowfish! Blowfish are a Japanese delicacy that can be dangerous–even deadly–if not prepared correctly.

But Blowfish essence has now been condensed into a morning after pill. In Manhattan, it can be delivered directly to your home or office. In the December 28th edition of the New York Times, Stephanie Rosenbloom quotes the pill’s inventor, Brenna Haysom, as saying, "We’ve gotten calls making sure it’s going to be in a discreet envelope so bosses wouldn’t see it." She recommends the pill for weekdays when "you need to be in work in 45 minutes and you want to die."
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