Hakuna Mutata

It's pretty well-known that The Lion King is a version of Hamlet. Hamlet with less murder and incest, and a happy ending, but Hamlet nonetheless. So it should come as no surprise that the semi-sequel, imaginitively titled The Lion King ½, would also have literary roots. What is surprising is what the source material actually appears to be. I could be wrong, as I've not seen it, but all the ads make it look like, of all things, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Appropriate, given the Hamlet connection, but surprising all the same.

The Guardian today runs a wonderful article on the controversy surrounding foreigners in the world of sumo wrestling. Not the type of article I thought I'd ever see on the "front page", but it's one of the most interesting features they've run in days.