Crumbs and Stuff, Take 7

Who needs Mickey Mouse? Charles Dickens might not be the most lovable and furry mascot, but that won't keep him from being the focal point for Dickens World, an amusement park currently under construction in England. Built at a cost of more than $113 million, it will feature rides and attractions based on the life and works of the immortal author.

The International Herald Tribune reports that the amusement park "will recreate the Victorian era, when children worked in sweatshops ..."

Insert antiquated Kathie Lee Gifford joke here.

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One of the more bizarre blogs I've come across as of late is Girls Are Pretty. Check it out. It's difficult to describe the site's premise, other than to say the author needs treatment -- and thank God for his readers that he's not receiving any.

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Some interesting bastard pop, particularly the Elvis Costello/Police/Peggy Lee concoction "Wrapped Detective." (Thanks to I'm Just Sayin' for the heads-up).

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And just for the inspirational heck of it, some Pulp Feng Shui to soothe your noir soul (and thanks to All Night Surfing, which, come to think of it, is also a mighty irresistibly eclectic Web site).