American Idol Shocker! Sanjaya was a fraud!!!ONE!!11eleven!!1

A German zoo has hired a local clown to entertain their monkeys. The poor chaps were bored with poo-flinging and banana-eating, and what with the series finale of "Gilmore Girls" being over and all that, they needed something to perk them up a bit.

Need a hug? Amma Tour is coming near you soon! The "Mother of all Huggers", Amma, gives hugs (not drugs) in her Darshan ceremonies. Who needs a neti pot anyways... more inside

Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest - quite a collection. The visual illusion community includes visual scientists, ophthalmologists, neurologists, and visual artists that use a variety of methods to help discover the neural underpinnings of visual illusory perception. First place went to The Leaning Tower Illusion, submitted by McGill University. *preen* Via FmH

Shark Virgin Birth confirmed. A Bonnethead shark has given birth by parthenogenesis. It's not the first time for sharks, a Bamboo shark has done this before.

The Skip

The Secret History of the Potato Awww baby . . I love the sexy, sexy subjects of history and the sensual hot-buttered passion of the potato. Also, it's interesting. 'Cause taters is good eatin'. see also. via linkfi more inside

UAE Builds New Deathstar Convention Center

A photo essay showing the aftermath of the Chernobyl Incident. [Flash VIA Slate] Here are disturbing and hopeful pictures of Belorussian children in asylums, orphanages and hospitals. Here catatonia, terror, cancer and deformity coalesce in playground laughter. Here are their distraught, melancholic and grief-wracked parents and the nurses that care for them. While the narrative borders on that sort of armchair ego-pith that normally brings out the misanthropist in me, the naked humanity presented overpowered the man behind the camera and brought tears to my eyes. WARNING: Many of these pictures show deformed children.

A book a fortnight - in which award-winning Yann Martel (Life of Pi) sends Canada's Prime Minister suggested volumes to read, along with quite fascinating letters. The response from Mr. Harper has been underwhelming.

Flickrvision : Real-time(approx) flickr images shown on a google map of the posters location. It's kind of relaxing. (Though you do need a decent connection.)

Pirates! Scans of all sorts of goodly resources. Anyway, can't stop, off to ride the monk.

The Cutty Sark is ablaze. Right now. You've heard of the Cutty Sark, right?

Lloyd Alexander died a few days ago. Washingon Post obituary, NY Times. The author of many books, I kept my (well thumbed) set of The Chronicles of Prydain alongside my Narnia series. more inside

The Napkin Drawings

Peach pit carving. The pit heads, from cherry, plum and other fruit pits. A carved elephant peach pit on a base. More complex carving.

Crocheted Shween (Somewhat NSFW) I'm not too sure what to make of this. And as far as <>

No Pine Tar Incident This time it's much more serious, and George Brett's not involved. This time it's about the right to pee without cooties lurking nearby. (and I thought Billy was dead.)

Al Gore book excerpt: The Assault on Reason. Also, a look at Gore as a stealth candidate in the 2008 presidential race.

Steely Dan - The Making of "Peg" Y'know I'm starting to see the benefit of this whole U-2be thing. Here's a great 10 minute video with solo'ed tracks and commentary from the Steelers about the making of one of the hippest "13-bar blues" songs, "Peg". Also, The Dissection of "Deacon Blues". via Fagenfilter more inside