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Thursday, January 19, 2006

 

Shatner's kidney stones, a toboggan hill and intelligent design

I wasn't sure what to blog about today, then I read the paper and I wasn't sure what not to blog about. Where to begin?

First, with the serious business. I can't tell you how pleasantly shocked I was to read this morning that the Vatican has come out with an article saying intelligent design is ideology, not science, and should not be taught in schools (I might have mentioned this before). The author of the original article in the L'Osservatore Romano said juxtapositioning evolutionary theory and intelligent design "creates confusion between the scientific and philosophical and religious planes." I dunno, maybe this is a personal thank you from the Church for coming back to the fold, but it's a great start!

There should be some sort of segue at this point, because I am changing gears and subjects entirely, but I have no idea how to bridge the Vatican's thoughts on ID and a giant toboggan run at the base of the CN Tower designed by one of my favourite Canadian authors. But hey, did you hear that they've commissioned Douglas Coupland, my first literary crush and author of Generation X and Eleanor Rigby, to design an eight-acre park in downtown Toronto? And part of his vision is trucking in 20,000 loads of soil to make a giant toboggan hill, then "scientifically carving out the parabolas to make sure you get the best run ever." Now we just need to make sure than instead of hot chocolate, the concession stand stocks beer and Beaver Tails. Because nothing says Canadian winter fun like inebriated sledding.

And finally, on the subject of (in)famous Canadians, did you hear about William Shatner's kidney stones? (See, it's not just a blog, it's a public service. I mean, you can't pay for ice breakers like these, and I give them to you as a gift.) Canada's quirkiest son, who gets more bizarre and hilariously eccentric with each passing day, has sold his recently-passed kidney stone to Goldenpalace.com for the pittance of $25,000. Apparently there are now plans in the works for Goldenpalace.com, a Canadian online casino site known for its ecclectic acquisitions, to take the kidney stones on a road show and exhibit them with such cultural treasures as Britney Spears' used pregnancy test and McDonald's french fry shaped like Abraham Lincoln.

And I thought I had nothing to blog about.