From the Village Reader

There is nothing like the sound of the radio alarm announcing "No School Today!" Especially after awakening to report after report of major traffic accidents on all branches of the freeways surrounding Akron this AM. So, we happily switched off the radio and drifted back into health-inducing sleep.

Now armed with coffee and time to kill, I share with you some choice reading from the Village Google Reader:

Beth, at Fake Plastic Fish gives us the lowdown on supposedly degradable plastic bags made out of something called D2W.

Crunchy Chicken is looking for the perfect toothpaste recipe.

This one isn't perfect, but will do in a pinch: Dip your brush in baking soda, then put a drop of Dr Bonner's peppermint soap on it. I have stopped using toothpaste, having recently found a dental powder called Eco-dent. "Hardens teeth without fluoride," is the claim. I'm not one of those anti-fluoride freaks, incidentally. I bought this because it has no dyes or sweeteners and it comes in a recyclable blue plastic (#1) bottle. It has a nice mint taste and a grittiness that works on the plaque. In fact, my dental technician commented on the lack of plaque at my last cleaning session. For those in the Akron area, you can find it at the The Mustard Seed.

Over in the UK, Aphra Behn has some thoughts on the Diana inquest. Quoting Aphra:

"It’s a compelling glimpse into the lives of the idle rich; lives cluttered with drivers and body-guards and butlers and spiritual healers and other odd and trashy acolytes."

David Byrne talks a bit about Antonin Artaud and about Jarvis Rockwell, son of illustrator Normal Rockwell. Byrne's Journal is a must-read for anyone interested in the arts and culture.

Speaking of art, you won't want to miss this post from The Brain Police about the amazing elephant artists of northern Thailand. Complete with video!

A blog I recently discovered is dedicated to figuring out how theatre people can make their living doing theatre -- and nothing else. Theatre Ideas explores:
1. Decentralization.
2. Localization
3. Artist - Audience Relationship
4. Positive Contribution
5. Revision of business model

I would say that our own The Bang and The Clatter is an example of what Theatre Ideas is promoting -- high quality, challenging local theatre. Now the trick is to find ways for the theatre workers in local companies to make their living exclusively by doing their art.

PZ Meyers at Pharyngula failed The God Delusion Test with a perfect score of zero and so did I. You can take it here.

Finally, for those who are not easily offended, I recommend this review of Jerry Springer, the Opera via The Playgoer.