Where’s the Poe Toaster?

Every year, on Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday, mysterious visitor leaves cognac and roses on his grave. This year it didn’t happen, for the first time in 60 years.
The story >>

Happy Birthday, Sam Beckett!

Today, April 13, is Sam Beckett’s birthday (1906). What better gift to have than J. M. Coetzee’s New York Review of Books review of Letters?

Darwin at 200

200 years ago today, Charles Darwin was born.
Who better to wish him a happy birthday than his own sister? There’s more family news [omitted] in the letter, but I was especially charmed by a middle-section about the only thing a certain young “Parky” remembers about uncle Charles.
Oh, and here’s a drawing of Darwin riding a [...]

If you meet Darwin by the road…

…kill him.
Today’s Science Times devotes itself to all things Darwin. His 200th birthday is 2 days away!
My personal favorite, Carl Safina’s essay entitled Darwinism Must Die So That Evolution May Live takes a stab at bursting the bubble of the cult of Darwin.

We don’t call astronomy Copernicism, nor gravity Newtonism. “Darwinism” implies an ideology adhering [...]

Darwin a Hero in Britain

Many know this, but before I went to Cambridge, I had no idea. NPR ran a story yesterday on Darwin’s hero-status in Britain, especially in light of how contentious he is on this side of the pond.

They visit Darwin College, and speak with a few Church of England clergy.
Listen here >>