Holiday Bookends

I bet someone could make cute little holiday ornaments of Milton Street and his lawn jockey. NPR's having an online decoration contest - it wants listener/reader submissions of homemade items for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. And Melody Joy Kramer, a Cherry Hill gal who helped cook up the idea, worried by e-mail that no one from Philly has sent in anything that's obviously from Philly. There has got to be something someone can make from a John's Roast Pork sandwich. Maybe not a menorah. She writes: "A Geno's cheesesteak/make your order in English" menorah might just take my breath away."

*

Fimoculous (a tiny organism that feeds on its own waste) picks the best blogs of 2006 that you may not know about. And, truthfully advertised, it's an obscure and good list, from Starbucks Gossip to Indexed.

*

The most-emailed story on Boston.com Wednesday morning was about a plane that was forced to land due to flatulence. And, no, it did not run out of gas.

*

David Bowie asked the musical question: Is there life on Mars? New NASA pictures suggest water flowed with in the past seven years. Misunderestimation explains: "Life i n the sense of single-celled micro-organisms, not the little green kind with bad dispositions. More importantly, this news could confirm a long-held belief that Mars has water and could support human life. Having water on Mars means we don't have to bring as much with us when we go there."

*

This is going around. It made me lose fluids out of my nose and 15 minutes of my day. It's about Kelly and her shoes. Kelly likes shoes. It is not safe for work - not unless you work in some totally odd place with Hello Kitty phones and Howard Stern playing for the customers. Click the original 'Shoes" video. Then the "Text-Message Break-up" video. Who is this genius? Don't go there if you are offended by the occasional swear word or people in drag.

And via Phillyburbs, this photo gallery from South Florida.com, which has gathered an impressive collection on Scary St. Nick snapshots, some reaching back decades into black and white times, to deliver moments when store Santas frightened the hell of some nice boys and girls. Only No. 44 seems to get even. But how did they miss Nazi Santa?

*

(Mel Gibson menorah by Avie Schneider of NPR)