Just as it is a truism that you are what you eat, so also you are what you read. That's one of the reasons we ought to vigorously oppose censorship: a varied diet is good for us.

Same on the Web. It's worthwhile to get around and look at stuff your better inclinations tell you to pass up. Why? Just because. To the right here, you see a Jesus of the Week, always a good click, even if Christ goes bad. The point, really, gets around to something a bit more complex than mere intellectual shock-treatment; we don't want to become two-dimensional beings, adding depth to our perspectives is a valuable exercise in and of itself. When you see your own ideas being laughed at, it's easier to gain a critical perspective on them.

You aren't contaminated when you read TomPaine, nor are you by the thoughts of Horowitz; look at the white, the black, and blend your own shades of gray. By reading widely, you more or less innoculate yourself against fanaticism of any stripe. You might even develop the strength to survive an encounter with the anti-Christ. But the problem is that most people don't see it that way, do they? The common perception is that if you're exposed to something deviant, something morally caustic, that you're going to be infected or brainwashed by osmosis. Like Lou Reed put it:

Jenny said, when she was just five years old
you know there's nothin' happening at all
Every time she put on the radio
there was nothin' goin' down at all
not at all

One fine mornin', she puts on a New York station
and she couldn't believe what she heard at all
She started dancin' to that fine-fine-fine-fine music
ooohhh, her life was saved by rock 'n' roll...

Luft Waffa

Believe it or not, the niece of Osama bin Laden is looking at becoming a pop diva. Waffa bin Laden, who's supposed to be a Natalie Imbruglia lookalike, is currently working with one of Madonna's producers and hopes to have a single out by the end of the year. She says that she and the big O don't get along too well:

She described how she had met bin Laden only once, at their home. 'I just got a glance and he turned his back because I was unveiled,' she said.

A Fishy Tale

We may have missed the return of the messiah. On January 28 a couple of fishmongers at the New Square Fish Market, which is close to Manhatten, report that a 20-lb carp they were getting ready to gut suddenly started shouting "apocalyptic warnings in Hebrew":

Nivelo, a Gentile who does not understand Hebrew, was so shocked at the sight of a fish talking in any language that he fell over. He ran into the front of the store screaming: 'It's the Devil! The Devil is here!' Then the shop owner heard it shouting warnings and commands too.

Paws for Concern

A West Hollywood assemblyman named Paul Koretz has been busy putting together legislation that would make it illegal to declaw a cat in the state of California.

"This is an animal cruelty issue," said Koretz, a cat owner and one of the Legislature's biggest animal advocates. "I don't see why we would continue an inhumane practice when there's no need for it."

Fun with Taxes

Here's a feel-good story about the burden of taxation on the poor—and I say that because I haven't had a refund in so long I don't even remember what an IRS check looks like. Revondia Payne's saga goes something like this:

On income of $2,425 in 2002, she was due a net refund of $99. This sum, added to her $970 EITC (earned income tax credit) payment, meant she had $1,069 coming from the government.

For the calculations and paperwork, Jackson-Hewitt charged Payne a $179 tax preparation fee. For the loan, Jackson-Hewitt charged her a $25 handling fee, a $55 application fee and a $42 loan finance fee.

After waiting two days for loan approval, Payne returned to the Jackson-Hewitt branch near her home to pick up a check for what was left: $768.

"If you are married, but qualify to file as head of household under special rules for married taxpayers living apart, and live in a state that has community property laws, your earned income for the EITC does not include any amount earned by your spouse that is treated as belonging to you under those laws."

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