November 10, 2004
The Wee Book of Calvin: Air-Kissing in the North-East
This book may very well be the perfect Christmas present [Buy UK] for anyone of Scots-descent to tune them into the gloom that is our presbyterian ethic.
"Ironic satire in a self-help book full of sorrow... quintessentially Scottish and strangely hypnotic"Proving that every silver lining has a cloud, the age old wisdom includes;
- The Bookseller
"The Feng-Shui of broken windows... Gull Soup for the soul..."
- Don Paterson - Winner of Whitbread Poetry Prize 2003
- The impossibility of redemption: Soap an waater waash dirt awa but a sin stains black forever.
- Stoicism: Self-pity never biled a haddock.
- Hostility to aspiration: The bonniest flooer wilts the quickest. Misanthropy: Millions of women bring forth in pain/Millions of bairns that are nae worth haein.
[via The Economist]
November 02, 2004
Homo floresiensis and the end of religion?
Desmond Morris muses on Homo floresiensis, the recently discovered species of human, and the challenges thrown up for religions.
Personally, I long to be told that he can talk.It will make him a much more effective bridge between us and the apes, forcing religions to re-examine many of their basic beliefs.
Flores can expect to host teams of scientists eager to learn more
In theory, the existence of Mini-Man should destroy religion, but I can already hear the fanatics claiming that he has been put on earth by the Devil simply to test our faith.Which brings up an even more intriguing question: does Mini-Man perform special burial rituals and does he therefore believe in an afterlife?