Feeding ceremonies? It's par for the course when a Japanese diver will dress up as an aquatic Kris Kringle. Then again, we've got our lore invested in Shamu.

Stand-up skinny-dips, snow to put Minneapolis to shame, and kimono-clad girls on roller coasters in this week's ceremonial tribute to glorious elegance in matchless peculiarity.

ACCLIMATION>: Baseball is more or less the national pastimes of Americans and Japanese alike. But why does a penchant for robots stay on the west side of the Pacific? Some serious questions have been raised. At the same time, we ought to pay tribute to the large-scale robotics that will save the Earth several times over.