White Moose must die? There's a white moose on the loose in Norway. If you want a nice trophy for above the fireplace, lighten up the place a bit, better get going, 'cuz you can't do it here no more.

Curious George curious of local history. What's some local history from your neck of the woods? more inside

Tito: male belly dancer. He's starting to shake... He's starting to shimmy... Gotta admit, dude's got moves. But he also does martial arts stick dancing, which is very, very manly. *cough* [youtubey goodness]. more inside

What's my name SIR! A U.S. Marine Sergeant is auctioning off naming rights for himself, to help orphans. Oddly, GoldenPalace.com not yet on list.

Papa Ratzi toying with abolishing Limbo. Unbaptized babies, Plato to go to Hell, Divine Comedy to have rewrite.

Star Trek Auction at Christie's. Lotsa stuff from Star Trek's 40 year history are being auctioned off right now, so what are you doing reading this? (Christie's site is a little slow, what with all us nerds jamming the signal.) Go. GO NOW.

Billy Bragg's current fav video. More YouTubey goodness. more inside

The Big Picture: Edward Burtynsky. A new documentary is coming out on Edward Burtynsky, the photographer who documents industrial landscapes like a Kubrick on steroids. more inside

How White and Nerdy are you? Yeah, online quizzes like this are poo-pooed around here, but like you don't want to know. Like you don't already know. [via BB]

NewsFilter: Branson pledges $3B to fight global warming. Branson on global warming, Gates on AIDS -- good news, but sad that it's up to insanely-rich individuals to step up where governments are failing to act...

British TV Adaptations. A little quiz about which/how British TV shows have been dumbed down adapted for a North American audience. Which shows should be adapted? Which ones should be banished forever from PBS Britcom nights? Which ones would be unadaptable? And which ones, if adapted, would be be simply fascinating, in a perverse post-9/11 sort of way?

R.E.M. reunites for their induction into Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and to push "I Feel Fine", the best of the I.R.S. years. It may be time to replace some vinyl... more inside

NewsFilter: Montreal Shootings. Details still sketchy, but it seems two gunmen killed four and injured another 12 at Montreal's Dawson College, in an attack which recalls some painful memories for the city.

Official Seal Generator. Christmas came early again. Now go and play.

School Superintendent appears semi-nude in calendar, said to be in bad form. ""It was done to raise some money, and he was asked to do it," Irlbeck said. "We have told him as a board that he needs to do things in the community." Oh, the jokes, they write themselves. [via obscurestore]

Chet Baker Tributes. Today, a new jazz festival starts in T.O. in honour of Chet Baker, to raise funds for a Foundation run by his widow Carol. Also, a biopic will soon come out, even if it can never be as transfixing as the real thing.

Yale Shmale. Lakehead University is using Bush as a negative example in their new ad campaign. more inside

T.O. lab to test DNA of Mystery Dog. Scientists are confused, as the beast that's been terrorizing Maine looks nothing like Cujo.

Curious George the Frosh. The ceeb has put together a sorta-lame Frosh Survival Guide. Now, many of us monkeys have hid from reality spent tuition money on drugs and stereos some time at uni or college -- what do you wish someone had told you before you shipped off? What pearls of wisdom can you now impart?

Sainte Marie among the Hurons, 1639-1649. At the time, Sainte Marie was the largest European settlement west of Montreal. Home of the Canadian Martyrs and a famous Christmas Carol, it served (much later) as the basis of an excellent film. In 1649 the village was burned to prevent its loss to the Iroquois, and the inhabitants moved to Christian Island before returning to Quebec. Yesterday, starting with a fire in the smithy, the village burned again.