
The celebrants, audience, and cow will then process to Harvard Divinity School, where Dean William A. Graham will open a second half-hour ceremony at 5:30 pm. Speakers will include William Martin, Emeritus Chavanne Professor of Religion and Public Policy at Rice University (and Professor Cox’s first graduate student advisee at Harvard), and Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies and director of the Pluralism Project at Harvard, who will reflect on the significance of cows in world religions. The cow will then receive its evening milking. —“Renowned Harvard Professor Claims Privilege of Grazing Cow In Harvard Yard,” Harvard Divinity School (via)
The list of powers that supposedly come with the tattoos is long and includes: imperviousness to bullets, anti-landmine protection, invisibility, an amplified voice to address troops and “great gravity” magic to make one’s fists into heavier, deadlier weapons. —“With Art as Their Armor,” John Maloy, GlobalPost
Ibrahim Jassam still imprisoned; no one knows why;
stealing 23 MacBooks in 31 seconds;
cannibal galaxies;
bagel F.A.Q.
And now, said the Daily News, “Dr. Roxanne Shanté” has “launched an unconventional therapy practice focusing on urban African-Americans,” in which she “incorporates hip-hop music into her sessions, encouraging her clients to unleash their inner MC and shout out exactly what’s on their mind.” The story was endlessly blogged and tweeted, heralded as an example of a heroic triumph by a girl from the projects over her evil record label. Credulous music-industry critics lapped it up; Techdirt, after stating flatly that Warner had “tr[ied] to cheat [Shanté] out of her contract,” reflected the online sentiment: “It’s nice to see how Warner Music actually did some good in the world, even if it had to be dragged there kicking and screaming.” One problem: Virtually everything about the Daily News’ heartwarming “projects-to-Ph.D.” story appears to be false. —“Roxanne’s Nonexistent Revenge: Heard about the rapper who forced her label to pay for her Cornell Ph.D.? It never happened,” Ben Sheffner, Slate
Robert Reich on what Obama must demand from Congress;
Obama’s poker tell;
WWF’s 9/11 ad shows hundreds of planes crashing into NYC;
NYC tugboat strike!;
Diet Pepsi with toad