How many of you out there are James Bond aficionados? Remember one of the first scenes in Live and Let Die (Roger Moore’s first in the role) where a funeral procession slowly, and mournfully, passes through the streets of New Orleans? A white dude asks a local whose funeral it is and the local says ‘Yours’ just as he stabs him. The funeral procession grabs the body and erupts into a raucous celebration for the life that was.

It seems the Chinese have gone one better in the entertainment stakes at funerals. Within Chinese custom it is believed that the more people you have at a funeral, the greater the luck for the family of the dearly departed. So how does one raise attendance at a funeral? With strippers of course! I don’t really get to go to many funerals so right now, that’s my excuse for not having come up with this idea. I wonder if it’s considered good luck to buy a lap dance for the dearly departed?

But before you rush to your nearest travel agent looking to book a Chinese funeral tour, officials have cracked down on this brilliant practice after an expose by CCTV. Personally, I though it would make a great Contiki Tour but it seems Chinese officials don’t share my enthusiasm. But fear not, loyal readers. Courtesy of our good friends at the Shanghaiist, you can watch the CCTV expose that led to the stripping-funeral ban. It’s a long clip (about 12mins in total), so give it time to load before you play. And if you can’t be bothered watching the whole clip and just want to see what all the fuss is about, try either the 6min or the 10min marks.

Since it has been a topic of late at Beezhouse, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight the difference in advertising for the two competing coffee brands - illy and Starbucks!

Which do you prefer?

or

Don’t these two ads say so much about their cultures and therefore brands?

It seems as though what I learnt in school about there being nine planets in our solar system will soon be outdated. Very soon actually.

It seems as though Astronomers worldwide are now in a definition war over what the three new planets (?) will be classified. Ceres, Charon and 2003 UB 313 are all relatively newly found planets, which could all be classified as planets in the near future. Actually Pluto, Charon and 2003 UB 313 will all be classified as Plutons, which will leave 8 “classical” planets.

Confused? Me too! But the next few days and weeks should end all the bickering amongst Astronomers.

That would make Caltech researcher Mike Brown, who found 2003 UB313, formally the discoverer of the 12th planet. But he thinks it’s a lousy idea.

The founder of “planet” 2003 UB 313, Mike Brown recently said, “It’s flattering to be considered discoverer of the 12th planet”. He applauded the committee’s efforts but said the overall proposal is “a complete mess.” By his count, the definition means there are already 53 known planets in our solar system with countless more to be discovered.

Space.com has all the detailed info to this worldwide debate.