Moggies, Mel, Morals and unMentionables

::The cat ate my happiness!::

Just when you thought you were finally safe from viral cats like Kitten vs Front Row, and Record Store Cats (see links at end of column if you have been spared emails containing them), it turns out that cats have been happily infecting us with an anxiety bug.

A researcher in Southern California is publishing an article in one of the Royal Society's respected scientific journals in which he asks: Can the common brain parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, influence human culture? Prof. Lafferty is suggesting that among the causes for any particular population being neurotic and anxious may be this parasite, which is hosted by cats.

::You'll never work in this ghetto again!::

It's lucky for a certain Aussie movie director that the cop who pulled him over wasn't someone who could be called a Pommie Bast*** or Mel would be accused of being an anti-English-speaker.

Merriam Webster's online dictionary gives the primary definition of the word "Semitic" is "of, relating to, or constituting a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic language family that includes Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, and Amharic." Considering that Gibson's film the Passion of Christ was in Aramaic and Hebrew, that would make him pro-Semitic, wouldn't it?

I'll leave it for your own choice of conspiracy theory as to why the tertiary definition of Semitic as meaning Jew overtook the primary one in common parlance.

::Antipodean moral high ground::

In a recent op-ed published in the SF Chronicle, Ted Baehr--who is the chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission--said he thought that Hollywood is finally realising that "even non-Christian moviegoers respond to inspiring and redemptive stories with morally outstanding heroes and heroines."

He cites as examples of morally uplifting movies that ranked in the top 25 box-office earners in recent years: The Passion of the Christ; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Finding Nemo; and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. All four have a Kiwi or Australian connection.

::A spy in my Spring Mist::

Heaven knows, personal care products cost an armpit and a legwax, but now it seems they're so valuable that Walgreen's pharmacy has taken to putting stickers on them saying: "This item intended for sale at Walgreens. If found at other outlets call 1-800-666-5677."

Anarchists take note: This is, of course, a great opportunity to wreak havoc with Big Corporations: just peel the sticker off the ones in Walgreens and go and stick them on items in another store, like Wal*Mart, for example! And vice versa, until every corporate behemoth in the US is suing every other corporate behemoth in the US.

I didn't notice the sticker till I got the product home, and it looked kind of bulky so I peeled it off only to find a miniature electronic circuit on the other side. It's a radio frequency ID, which can be used to track items as well as store information about what the item is. Oakland Public Library uses them on books, but somehow I don't mind that as much as finding an RFID on a personal care item. Puts a whole new spin on the term Trojan horse.

::Cat URLs::
Kitten Vs FrontRow (video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdXTDovB9K8

Record Store Cats (animated gif):
http://b3ta.hnldesign.nl/index.php?list=4

rosalea.barker@gmail.com

Also at http://stateside.vox.com/, where you can comment once you become a member.

--PEACE--

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