* This would make an interesting kernel for a fantasy short story: Islamic law on whether it is permissible to eat mermaids.
* New works by Mozart have been discovered. They were actually always there but nobody recognized them as Mozart's because the score was clearly written by Mozart's father. But the music is like Mozart's music, and not at all like Mozart's father's; and thus it appears to be a very early piece, from when Mozart was seven or so, before he knew how to write musical notation.
* An article about Jan Matzeliger, the inventor of the shoe lasting machine.
* A farmer discusses modern farming and its critics. (ht)
* The 39th century considers the 20th century's obsession with donkeys.
* Catholics in science fiction. (ht)
* Nsibidi symbols.
* A six-word story contest. (ht) I haven't really thought about it, but if I were to write a six-word story, I think it would be, "The sun did not rise. Surprise!" (It's a short story and a poem!) Or "The world ended yesterday. I cried." Or "Death, while strolling, slipped on ice." Or "Nietzsche wrote his books yet again." Or "Not my fault! He was speeding! Or "After the burglary the thief escaped." Or "Veni, vidi, vici consilio et armis." Or "My car broke down in traffic." Kind of a boring exercise, actually; we tell six-word stories all the time.
* The IEP has an article on the role of religion in the philosophy of Nicolas Malebranche. I have to confess, I find myself somewhat depressed in looking at it. I'm not at all pleased with it, but I eventually reached a point at which I decided I was genuinely incapable of balancing the conflicting demands placed on an article of this sort in a way that would please me. But now there's something up on the subject, and that, at least, is a plus. Comments and corrections are welcome.
* Sherry's Hundred Hymns List continues:
#40 O Come, O Come Emmanuel
#39 The King of Love My Shepherd Is
#38 Like a River Glorious
#37 For All the Saints
#36 My Jesus, I Love Thee
Both #40 & #36 were on my list of recommendations.
ADDED LATER:
* The new Philosophers' Carnival is up.
* I'm currently putting together links for my ethics course website, and would be glad of any recommendations for online resources in ethics that you might have. (I've incidentally learned that ethics bloggers have absolutely no imagination, since their blogs are all called things like "Business Ethics Blog" or "Research Ethics Blog".)
