Devo and Blacksploitation: Just some more 'artistic' ideas to rethink Darwin

1) Newscientist launches a contest to rethink Darwin in an artistic (literature, music, poetry, polka, burlesque, mime, snuff film) context. (Link)

2) A Russian billionaire has already shelled out millions tracking down Hitler’s car and will have to dish out another bundle to buy it. A lot for a used car? (Link)

3) Oxford University a 1000 year-old institution changed the name of it’s common room to “Gryffindor” from the Harry Potter books. Some people will go to extreme measures to deny the “Twilight” craze… (Link)

4) Otto von Bismarck, founder of modern Germany, apparently received bags of fan mail and marriage proposals. Then again, so does Charles Manson. (Link)

5) The Historical Society rethinks the pilgrims and asks what these members of “an otherworldly religious sect” had to do with “football and overeating”. Not making sense and confusing History are clauses of the American dream. (Link)

ON THIS DAY IN 1867: Norwegian scientists Alfred Nobel patented dynamite for industrial use in building railroads. He would later invent the prize that carries his name, appalled at what we were using his invention for. The concept of the optimistic scientist died that day. (Link)

AND AS FOR THE LIGHTER SIDE: Cracked.com’s “6 Most Insane Crash Diets of All-Time” – What? Tape worms WOULD work… (Link)

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And a happy New Year?

1) Better late than never: justice is served as a 90-year-old Nazi is charged on 58 counts of murder. (Link)

2) Muslim academics are actively trying to discredit Charles Darwin and his theories in accordance with the doctrine of Islam. Weird how science and History can just be cast away like that… (Link)

3) “Deck the halls with boughs of Swastikas” – How the Nazis once tried to steal Christmas. (Link)

4) A female American reporter was arrested and detained in China for wearing a T-Shirt comparing Obama and Chairman Mao (and presumably for being female). (Link)

5) Time Magazine delves into ancient Persia and tries to elucidate the mystery of Emperor Cambyses II and his vanishing army. Occam’s razor may certainly apply here. (Link)

ON THIS DAY IN 1978: Jim Jones led the 900 members of his cult down to Guyana to avoid persecution and then to eternal happiness through Kool-Aid and cyanide. A fun side-note is that he himself didn’t drink it and had to be gunned down. (Link)

AND AS FOR THE LIGHTER SIDE: Cracked.com’s “6 People Who Got Away With Living an (Implausible) Lie” – One of England’s most prolific XIXth century doctors was only revealed to be a woman at her autopsy. Now that is commitment. (Link)

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