Okay, well, after a weird couple of weeks where the natural order of things was forced to contend with the grave disturbance of front-loaded holiday time, we have returned to what is more or less the first real week of the year. How does it feel? Yeah, I know, me too. Let's ease back into things as casually as possible, by which I mean funny animal stories (I think we've got an otter post coming up for you at some point this morning) and bear videos. If you are expecting the dulcet tones of Choire Sicha in this space alerting you about events around town, I am sorry [...]

Scientists at the Ontario Science Centre, which is apparently a real place, say they are investigating this video taken by Toronto bird-watcher Peter Hickey-Jones to determine whether or not if offers proof of the existence of unicorns. While we all wait, the Science Centre advises the public on what to do in the case of a unicorn sighting, and has set up a hot line (416-696-3260) to call to report any such instances. When you call the number, you can also learn information about the Science Centre's current show, Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids. More interestingly, here is a list of "Unicorn Facts" the Science [...]

"It is good news for beauty salons across the globe – women really do prefer a man with a smooth chest, researchers have found. Researchers compared the attractivemess of men before and after shaving their chest – and found only 20 per cent of women preferred the more hirsute version."

Despite having no frame of reference for things that hover other than sci-fi vehicles like skateboards in Back in to the Future II, Jesus, I did think the Griffon Hovercraft that's traversing the Arctic for evidence of an asteroid strike would be up my alleyway. But according to this Wired article, it's not powered by something cool like super-scary magnets that could kill you by sucking out all the iron particles in your blood stream like Magneto which is what I needed it to be. It's powered by air or some shit. "[It] weighs six tons but exerts no more pressure on any patch of ice than a seagull [...]

They announced the Emmy nominations this morning and the nation's best television show, "Revenge," was not named once. (Other good things happened! Like the hottie who plays John Watson in the new "Sherlock" got nominated! And Lady Mary! And lots of "Girls"! And some usual suspects. (Oh, Alec Baldwin.) And "Downton Abbey" got a Best Hairstyling nod, which, appropriate! But how can liberal Hollywood spurn "Revenge"??? And how on earth did HBO get "Hemingway and Gellhorn" nominated repeatedly? GELLHOOORRNNNN!

For Pete's sake, that whole story about Roxanne Shante getting her doctorate of whatever on the back of Warner Music? It is so faux. How depressing.