The “funny” news angle: bear spotted and then overcome near Frat Row at the University of Washington. The stranger angle: “You hear about bears in Issaquah; that’s where they live.” Really? On an almost entirely unrelated note: I saw a bunny in my cul-de-sac this morning. It was small and brown and had a bit of a poo before loping away.

Some two years after it showed up in my reading, and a good five months after it started getting heavy traction in the Asian and Australian press, Indonesia’s insane "anti-pornography" bill may be getting some attention here.

We loved him as Jesus, he left us wanting more as The Doctor, can he complete the trifecta as Number Six? Will Bill Gallagher be able to do what Russell Davies did with a beloved cult figure? His résumé looks reasonable, though I’m uneasy about reports that the series is aimed at fans of 24.

So, my theory about the upcoming original Star Wars trilogy release on DVD goes like this: Lucas’s ex-wife, I’ve heard, owns a piece of the originals, which is why they’ve never been re-released (this doesn’t quite make sense, as Lucas was divorced in 1984, and there were LD releases as late as the mid ’90s, but be that as it may). But so many people want to see the originals that it’s an irresistable income opportunity. Enter some bright lawyer, who suggests that by including the originals as "extras" on another DVD release of the molested versions, there is no actual revenue associated with the originals.

England has all the good snack names. Where else could you be fined for throwing a Cheesy Wotsit out your car window? The picture gives me to understand they’re Really Cheesy. Wouldn’t we all rather be scarfing down Cheesy Wotsits than Cheetos? I mean, really.

The LIST of magical ILLUSIONS performed by a man claiming to be the ILLUSTRIOUS Professor Phillippe, as reproduced by the FANTASTICAL illusioner and historian RICKY JAY in his volume Extraordinary Exhibitions which, while in fact originating in 1858, seems very much like a LIST or PIECE of HUMOR as written by the TREMENDOUS John Hodgeman in his MASTERPIECE of HILARITY, The Areas of My Expertise:
1. The Rivington Pike Filtration Trick
Or a Magical Illustration of how Dirty Water may be made Clean.
2. The Borough Bank Trick!
Or how to Extract Money from Vanity, or cause it to come through closed doors at will.
3. The Magical Municipal Election
or how to find the right man in the right position.
4. The Universal Happiness Trick
Of how to make Everyone contented, all things pleasant, and good fortune to be the lot of all.
5. Ladies’ Secrets Discovered
Yes, & Gentlemen’s Also.

“Apart from the Eucharist and liturgies in Coptic, the most sacred symbol in the Coptic Church is the cross, including a tattooed cross on the right wrist. Originally the tattoo was an identification mark so that Coptic children would not be mistaken for Muslims in times of upheaval. In modern times the cross has become a powerful mark of Christian identity in Egypt.”

Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, v. 1 p. 163

Merlin’s thoughts on mindfulness are particularly well-timed for me.

Released test questions and sample tests for some WASL subjects.

I learned that there is a Humanitarian Device Exemption to FDA regulations, and that sometimes twins’ blood supply can get all mixed up before they are born, but now science may be able to help, thanks to the HDE!

The world is a wide, strange, and wonderful place.