This is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.

A brief tidbit:

Since becoming a GEICO customer in January of this year, you have reported 131 accidents, requesting reimbursement for repairs necessitated by each one. You have claimed not to be responsible in any of them, usually listing the cause of the accident as either “Sneak attack by Decepticons” or “Unavoidable damage caused by protecting freedom for all sentient beings.”

Brilliant. Thanks to RS for the link.

Hmmm…maybe rock stars don’t have all the answers.

The BBC reports today that NBC’s coverage of the Live Earth concerts was the least-watched show on American television, losing out to a re-run of 2001′s Monsters Inc. Yes, that’s right. Animated monsters got more face-time than Sting.

I can think of a few reasons for the tepid response. What we have here is a bad case of preaching-to-the-choir syndrom. Those who are aware of the climate crisis and already committed to action probably watched in droves. But for vast swaths of Middle America, global warming is a distant, fuzzy concept with little relevance in their daily existence. For these folks, cartoon characters are a welcome break from mortgage and money worries. A bunch of stern, lecturing popstars? Less so.

And if the vast majority of Americans are like me, they’re suffering from a bad case of celebrity fatigue. I know global warming is a problem. I don’t need Cameron Diaz telling me it’s a problem. In fact, I resent it. I have more education than Cameron Diaz. I read more than Cameron Diaz. I am not, however, as attractive as she is, but you get the idea. I’m not sure how celebrities became our activists. It’s annoying as hell, and nine times out of ten they do more harm than good. I prefer to take my public policy cues from, you know, experts and scientists. Not actors and musicians. Sure, you can make a good movie, but that does not in any way qualify you to speak on anything other than the movie you just made. And it always comes off as a bit insincere when a multi-millionaire tries to lecture you on making sacrifices to save the world.

Social change is a grubby, tedious process. It takes sustained public education, and a committment by all sectors of society towards the ultimate goal. Or, to put it another way, stopping climate change is going to be like herding cats. I don’t begrudge the Live Earth organizers their intentions or goals. But clearly, rock shows are not the silver bullet solution. Outreach, education and sustained political will are the only things that will turn the tide.

Polydactyl Hemingway cats, actually.

The six-toed felines, genetic mutations descended from an animal gifted to Ernest Hemingway by a sea captain, now roam the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida. The museum hosts about 50 cats, about half of which have a superfluous toe.

But all is not well for these unusual cats. The United States Department of Agriculture, in all their bureacratic munificence, claims the museum is an ‘exhibitor’ (read: zoo), and that the Hemingway cats must be caged.

Salvation arrived last week when the Key West City Commission exempted the museum from a bylaw that limits each household to four domestic animals. Said the commission:

“The cats reside on the property just as [they] did in the time of Hemingway himself. They are not on exhibition in the manner of circus animals. The city commission finds that the family of polydactyl Hemingway cats are indeed animals of historic, social and tourism significance … an integral part of the history and ambiance of the Hemingway House”.

By elevating the cats to the status of residents, the commission has undercut the USDA. Residents can’t be put in cages. Or at least not yet.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, USDA. It tolls for thee.