November 16 commemorates the death of St. Hugh of Lincoln–not to be confused with Little St. Hugh of Lincoln who Chaucer wrote about–a darn popular saint in England, but not really anywhere else. Since he lived in the late twelfth century, his Vita (saintly biography) is more concerned with his skill as an administrator than with anything interesting. Though, it should be noted, he did have an attack swan that guarded him as he slept. Pet swans that beat people up for you, you don’t see that every day–unless you’re St. Hugh of Lincoln, of course, but you’re not.

From Got Medieval.

“Barack Obama Names Alan Moore Official White House Biographer”

From The Onion

Here is a post about Augustine’s Confessions being patterned after Virgil’s Aeneid.

Fascinating.

These pictures of dead birds on Midway Island are sobering. They remind me of a Calvin & Hobbes Sunday strip that opened with a stark and moving illustration of a dead sparrow. But while the comic strip was sobering, moving, and thought-provoking, these images are sobering, unsettling, and perplexing. Given the cultural inertia behind the behavior that creates so much detritus, there seems little chance of curbing it any time soon.

It’s also an excellent example of how pollutants can move through an ecosystem, causing exceptional damage in a particular area. It’s similar to the way mercury concentrates in fish higher up the food chain.

Hat Tip: The Edge of the American West