Not to be difficult, but isn't Turkey technically Europe? If not, what is it - Africa or Asia?

Just to expand a little on what others have said, Turkey is mostly Asian, and indeed the entire continent of Asia is named from the Roman province by the same name located in Western Turkey; which itself derived its name from one single town (Assos, IIRC) on the Turkish coast. (And the Turkish peninsula is still known as Asia Minor.) However, Istanbul and the rest of Turkish lands across the Bosporus are in Europe; so it's one of only three countries to straddle two continents. (The others, of course, are Russia, as mentioned already, and Egypt.)

I have an accent question. The lead chick in "Tipping The Velvet" -- is her accent consistent? She sounds awful to me, and not like the other people in her family.

She sounds awful to me too, ita. Really, really awful. In fact, she sounds like nothing so much as Dame Diana Rigg's daughter with a headcold pretending to be common and vainly striving for butchness.

....ah.

(But she's still pretty.)

Apperently, I'm British Columbia. Well, the first part's right.

What Fay said about diana Rigg's daughter. Her accent is atrocious.

And I can't believe no-one mentioned TaTu in the Eurovision chat. Two Russian teenagers, pretending to be lesbians, dressed in schoolgirl outfits, managed by a former lecturer in mass psychology and produced by Trevor Horn. Yet another example of life imitatating cyberpunk.

Is 'Tipping the Velvet' worth watching? Because it will be on here in Oz in the nearish future, and a friend of mine really liked the book.

Is Tipping the Velvet worth watching? Hmm. Well, I haven't read the book. I suspect that if I'd read the book, I'd have been weeping into my beer. As it is - well, it's got some remarkably pretty girls having the Big Gay Sex, which is always fun. And the costumes are nice. But it's not great television, I'm afraid.

As it is - well, it's got some remarkably pretty girls having the Big Gay Sex, which is always fun. And the costumes are nice

Yum, never enough of that on television. I'm currently watching the BBC adaptation of George Eliot's Daniel Deronda and while lacking in the gay sex department, the pretty people + costumes are quite entrancing, to the point where I can't decide whether it's actually a good show or just distractingly shiny.

to the point where I can't decide whether it's actually a good show or just distractingly shiny.

I'm voting not good but pretty, Leigh.
For me, it lacks.. heart, I guess is the word.
Too much surface, not enough substance.
(Although, that's probably an indictment of the period, too.)

I'm enjoying the Dickens more.
But I'm just a great big Dickensphile at the best of times.
(And the worst of times :)

Paging Jim....

I got the last couple of tapes from Jon today (thanks, Jon!). The only problem: I'm just missing the episodes you're sending me. Have you sent the package out yet? Let me know - thanks.

How frustrating is it to have the Buffy and Angel finales sitting on your desk, lying there gloating, going, "Go on, watch me! Stuff the missing episodes, the lack of continuity! Who cares about character arcs? Watch me, watch me! You know you want to". Very, very frustrating.