THEY'RE IN UR SLATE TAKING OVER UR NEWS

Okay, it's official. Lolcats have taken over the world. See this Slate article for further proof.

Other (Inferior) Gift Guides

Boy, both the New York Times gift guide and that of New York magazine (which is usually chock-full of good, albeit expensive, suggestions) are remarkably disappointing this year.
Oddly enough, after I wrote the preceding sentence, I read Slate's guide to gift guides, which gave its highest rating to New York mag's guide. I wonder how dreadful the others must me...

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

How to have an environmentally friendly Christmas has never been a particular concern of mine. To be frank, I've never even considered it before. But after reading this informative Slate article, I have resolved to be more aware of the holiday decisions I make and their consequences. Some of their suggestions are very easy to follow—I already combine shipping as much as possible, for example. Not only does it save on fuel, it saves me kizash. I'll buy some LED light strands this year and stay away from sparkly wrapping paper (well, as much as possible). Fortunately, I've been inadvertently green for years now thanks to my entire family's practice of reusing gift bags and Mylar wrap/tissue paper as long as possible. (Seriously, we have to coerce my grandmother into finally ditching a piece of Mylar that's wrinkled beyond recognition.) Other Slate suggestions, such as using Sellotape, are good, but pretty hard to follow. No problem if you're in the U.K., but here in the U.S. there is Scotch tape and knockoff Scotch tape and that's it. Good luck finding Sellotape. Though Berkeley is just crunchy enough that I may be able to scrounge up some. I'll have to check.

Harry Potter: Flying Jock

In honor of the premiere of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, here's something to consider. It's an old article, but a good one. It perfectly expresses so many of the things I found bothersome after reading the books.