If you’ve got a few minutes to kill or you’re avoiding work, here’s some stuff to look at.

giant statues in people’s yards – Google Search
www.google.com

People who say there’s no such thing as coincidence, check this out. I was looking up a lot of stuff about air purifiers this afternoon, and now there’s a ton of air purifier ads on my Facebook feed. Crazy! You can’t explain this stuff!

I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want. But I won’t make you wait through the whole verse to find out. I want to zig-a-zig ahhhh.

A short horror story:

It’s only one hundred and sixty days until it’s Christmas again.

I could do without the stupid header, but the raccoon shows admirable good sense. Let’s NOT take him to a showing of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, however, like they did with some chimps. I mean, really.

This Raccoon Startles These Cats. What He Does At The End Had Me In Stitches!
sfglobe.com
He just couldn’t resist!

This is what I’ve been calling an “optimism vs. pessimism” split for years. And, conservative friends, please note, as to whether either approach is more appropriate, that’s still a purely political argument. But the science is beginning to look like I was right about the basic differences.

Scientists are beginning to figure out why conservatives are…conservative
www.motherjones.com
Ten years ago, it was wildly controversial to talk about psychological differences between liberals and conservatives…

Yeah. Smart idea. Take the chimps to see the movie about apes taking over. No, they won’t get any ideas. They’re just dumb animals.

Two Chimps Watched ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ In Theaters, and It’s the Cutest Thing Ever… –
bloody-disgusting.com
Two Chimps Watched ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ In Theaters, and It’s the Cutest Thing Ever…

If you don’t like bats, this is probably not going to change your mind, but I happen to like them a lot.

These Endangered Bats Are Beautiful — And This Slo-Mo Footage is Incredible!
blog.therainforestsite.com
Bats are one of the most endangered land mammals in the United States. The lesser long-nosed bat has been endangered since…

More important news!

Giant dead parrot unveiled in London to pay tribute to Monty Python
www.radiotimes.com
A huge bird lies on its back at Potters Fields, near Tower Bridge, to celebrate the screening of the cult comedy troupe’s live TV…

Mark Your Calendars: In A Year, We’ll Arrive At Pluto
www.npr.org
It takes a long time to travel 3 billion miles. On July 14, 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will finally get a flyby glimpse of the dwarf planet, as part of a mission launched in 2006.

Oh. My. God.

Watch Persecuted Trailer
www.persecutedmovie.com
Persecuted depicts evangelist John Luther as the last obstacle…

This is my brain on “Sunday”. It’s a terrifying drug.

Tommy Ramone, the last surviving original member, has left the building.

Farewell, Tommy. Farewell, Ramones.

Apropos of absolutely nothing:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1zd24_godley-and-creme-cry_music

Okay, I’m a huge basketball fan, but I honestly couldn’t give a tinker’s damn where LeBron is playing next year. So sue me.

Okay, these are all good, some are great, and #14 opens with a Luminosity ad starring our friend Emily from Portola Valley Theater Conservancy.

29 Cats Who Failed So Hard They Won
29 Cats Who Failed So Hard They Won
*Crying*

I’m not really a nerd, I just play one on TV, but I have to admit I yearn to have these at my next soirée. Okay, if I ever have one.

Here is last night’s sphinx moth, in better light but a day older and looking smaller because of folded wings. I fear it’s listening to the finale music. A short life, but — I hope — a sweet one, at least nectarishly speaking.

For you Kindlers, there’s a special on this anthology — $1.99 for a short while. It’s got lots of great stories, and one of them is an Otherland story by me. Pretty good price for only the second post-novel appearance of Orlando, let alone all the excellent work by other writers.

Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond
www.amazon.com
FOREWORD BY GREGORY MAGUIRE, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WICKED.When L. Frank Baum…

Never make the mistake of trying your carefully prepared “it’s an outrage!” story on unprepared, reasonable people.

Watch A Child Dismantle Fox’s Panic Over Gender-Neutral Restrooms
mediamatters.org
To Fox’s dismay, its man-on-the-street interview didn’t go as planned.

I’m sorry for my Dutch friends and happy for my Argentinean friends. But mostly I just wanted to share this picture of some cool Netherlands fans.

Gallery: Netherlands vs. Argentina
www.espnfc.us
Dutch fans prior to the semifinal clash.

It’s always sad to say farewell to Tad.

Farewell to Tad’s, Manhattan’s Last Meat Honkytonk
ny.eater.com
We tend to think of eating steaks in New York as a wildly expensive pursuit. Spend an hour or two barely chewing in Peter Luger, Keen’s, or the Old…