Wednesday, December 18, 2002

The Science of Santa Over at Secular Blasphemy, Jan posted a funny bit about the raging scientific "debate" over whether or not the moon is made of green cheese. That prompted me to comment the following: Since we're in the season, let's not forget about Santa Claus. I mean, while "parental selection" may seem to explain how most gifts end up under the tree, every year there are a few gifts around the world whose origin remains unaccounted for. In these cases, does not science require, nay, DEMAND, that we consider the possibility of an "intelligent giver"? Of course, the IG theorists are in no way affiliated with fundamentalist SantaClausians - it's just a happy coincidence of good science and faith. Didn't want to waste some of my best material on somebody else's site! 3:02:24 PM    Emphasize This! [] Return to the Paisly Underground I'm a sucker for clever '80s alt-pop: the dbs, Marshall Crenshaw, the Feelies, Robyn Hitchcock and Camper Van Beethoven are all among my faves. One band I thought never got enough attention for its well-crafted, literate and often-rocking work is Game Theory, whose best albums are now long out of print. Unfortunately, I hestitate to search too aggressively online for their classic double-album masterpiece for fear of ending up on the FBI's kiddie-porn hitlist. The unfortunate title of this great work? Lolita Nation. (ok, Google, bring on the pervs...) 8:44:42 AM    Emphasize This! [] Tax the Poor! Republican leaders, apparently concerned that economic inequality in America is not widening fast enough, have decided to supplement its program of tax cuts for the wealthy with new programs to tax the poor. No, this isn't a rejected Daily Show routine. According to the Washington Post, the idea that the poor are under-taxed (which first surfaced, predictably, in the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page), is gaining ground among Republican economic thinkers in the White House and Congress. I really, really hope they're serious about this. And while they're at it, maybe they should all paint big bullseyes on their heads... 8:35:40 AM    Emphasize This! []

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