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Since the 1970s, the government of Japan has been trying to set limits on overtime hours for the country's workforce. The problem has become so prevalent in recent years that the United Nations' International Labour Organization has described Japan as a country with no legal limits on overtime expectations. When 60-hour work weeks became commonplace, a word was even coined to define death from overwork - karoshi. There's even a national karoshi hotline and a set of laws that funnels money toward the widow and children of a man (it's almost always men) who has worked himself into an early grave. The law started to gain international attention in 2002 when a 30-year old Toyota employee collapsed and died on the job after working more than 80 hours of overtime every month for the previous six months. A court later ruled his death to be the result of this overwork, most of which was unpaid and that his wife was entitled to compensation.

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Only in Dubai. Here's another speculative design from the city of desert dreams. The Cloud will be a resort city elevated 300 metres above Dubai and supported on slanting legs meant to resemble rain. Designed by Lebanese architectural firm Atelier Hapsitus, The Cloud is inspired by desert nomads, whose lives have always been defined by their relationship to clouds which they followed for water, and for survival. The structure itself is a 20,000 square metre platform comprising bridges, walkways, gardens, an auditorium and lake. No word yet on when construction may begin, but we can dream about it.

http://www.hapsitus.com/

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If you should find yourself invited to dinner at the White House and in need of a pedicure, you may wish to check out the DC region's latest beauty offering - a foot treatment where tiny carp nibble dead skin off your feet. No, really.

The Yvonne Hair and Nails salon in Alexandria, VA has been offering the treatment for a few months now. Razors have fallen out of favour with state regulators for reasons of sanitation. so salon owner John Ho looked to spas in Turkey and discovered the fish application. After 15 to 30 minutes in a shallow tank with the nibblers, customers receive a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind. Sessions begin at $35 for 15 minutes and patrons describe the sensation as "tingly". Bite back afterward with a trip to one of the region's many sushi restaurants.

http://www.yvonnesalon.com

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Humanity is rediscovering the pleasures of salt. Worshipped for millennia for its power to heal, not to mention its primitive potential to preserve food, salt has played a key role in our civilization. And now, gourmet salts are powdering the world with delightful flavours and sensations we'd never dreamed of before, as well as upping the visual experience of cruets everywhere thanks to some of those colours. So long, Sifto. Bonjour Himalayan Pink and Salish Smoked. The site below has a salt gift shop where you can order sample sets of gourmet salts to begin the next level of your gastro-sensual education. Popcorn will never be the same.

http://www.saltistry.com

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Now that Summer is here, people look to bridal shows and glossy mags for inspiration on how to make their big day different from everyone else's. Well, if you have the patience to wait until 2011, you might consider looking at SpaceWedding, a Japanese company that will fly you 100km over the surface of the earth so you and your honey can exchange your vows among the stars. The price is the equivalent of over $2 million USD, but man, what an album you'll have.

http://www.spacewedding.jp

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More and more outrageous advertising tactics mean more and more shameless decisions being made by those looking for an easy dollar. Golden Palace Casino came under public fire recently for paying two people to permanently tattoo the gambling house's URL on their foreheads. Video game company Acclaim crossed a line in 2002 when they paid families for the rights to advertise on the gravestones of their dead relatives. And of course, who could forget when tire manufacturer Dunlop paid four Canadians to legally change their surnames from Dunlop to Dunlop Tire for one year? The price for that stunt? A shared $25,000 USD.

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