Check out this blog post. It turns out that defending the use of torture at Christmas is awfully Grinchy.
Do you remember Knut? Knut was the adorable polar bear at the Berlin Zoo who became an international cuteness sensation by 1. being born in captivity and surviving, 2. doing so just as the internet decided it would devote 50% of space to animals doing cute things in videos. Anyway, Germany revealed itself to be crazy when there were multiple songs about Knut on the charts, and Knut appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair Deutschland. The Berlin Zoo had its most profitable year ever in its 163 year old history, and toy and book companies got in on the action. Knut was an industry unto himself. Okay, but then he grew up, and now is a huge killing-machine who people don’t think is cute anymore. Still, a fraught custody battle rages on between German zoos, and perhaps most disturbingly, Knut is addicted to human attention. He doesn't know that he's a polar bear, and he has become so used to the attention of people that he cries when no one is standing in front of his enclosure watching him. Can you relate? I don’t know if what Knut’s tale offers is merely a grave lesson on our culture of celebrity worship/discarding – the comparison with Britney Spears bears fleshing out - or something more central to our civilization, for example, the (ephemeral) value we place in youth, and beauty. Are youth and beauty the ultimate Ponzi scheme? PARSE THAT!
Good year, you guys. I guess President Bush thought so too? Check out this weird unnecessary thing, a Christmas video message from the Bushes. It is even more weird and unnecessary than you’d think a Christmas video message from the Bushes would be.
Winter Songs: The Chain, a nice group effort. And Second Hand News, for good measure. Sorry they aren’t topical, but you should enjoy them anyhow.
See you next year! Safe, wonderful holidays.
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