links and stuff

I read the blogs so you don't have to!

New, Fun, and Christmasy links (and a few serious ones, too)
First of all, USC's Matt Leinart (a blogger) won the Heisman Trophy; BoiFromTroy has the roundup
Speaking of college, Rusty Shackelford liveblogs a final exam. Amusing if you've ever taken one or given one
The Commissar presents The Blogues Gallery
Michele of ASV starts her own movie awards
From Beth and Boudicca, find out your Squirrel Name! (I'm Doctor Crazypaws)
John of Argghhh! delivers Gift Wrapping Tips for Men
Margi (and Helen) post some thoughts on the existence of Santa Claus
Speaking of Santa, Gir brings us the story of a very bad Santa indeed
Xrlq relates the only good news Scott Peterson has had in a while
Ith's car died, but it could be worse....
Windham interprets An Artist's Life in Six Acts
Anita visits the dirty rat in Orlando
Speaking of rodents small furry mammals, Blob's ferret and the Princess have something in common
From rodents to politicians (not a huge leap, I know): Captain Ed is scratching his head over the MN electors
A Red Mind in a Blue State has an interesting comparison in global politics
Val updates on the war against dead commie worship
Ken reports on just how far Cruz Bustamonte has fallen (I've met the guy, he used to be great)
On the scientific front: Dean and Paul are both discussing genetics run amok
Medpundit has a good reason to refrain from wearing one of those ubiquitous "WWLD" (what would Lance do?) yellow bracelets which are less about supporting cancer research than about style anymore.....
And finally, a couple of serious posts:
Lt. SMASH takes on deserter Pablo Paredes
Solomon questions the wisdom of pushing our kids to excel beyond their abilities
Juliette continues the math debate here

Was that enough for one evening?

Update: Ok, Ok. I apologize for my lapse in judgement. Ferrets are not rodents. In fact they are order Carnivora not Rodentia. Ferrets are most appropriately known as mustelidae, as are weasels. I just tend to think of all small furry things this way since I play with rodents for a living...

I never said I was a Taxonomist. In fact they offer neither Taxonomy nor Environmental Biology at Caltech.