“I read the news today, oh boy ...” (Christmas Novena Edition)

The connection between Jesse Jackson Jr, dwarfs, and pornography. Michigan union thugs beating a Fox News Contributor. Harry Belafonte on behalf of liberty and justice for all. This and more (if a little later than usual, given our special programming this time of year) from the folks at Pajamas Media.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on planet Earth -- and beyond ...

• "Is this the real life, is this just fantasy?" Is the universe just a computer simulation? (Wow, just like in The Matrix!) Somebody out there is contemplating the Big Questions? (MIT Technology Review)

• Could porcupine quills help us design the next generation of hypodermic needles? The National Academy of Sciences may have the answer. (Smithsonian.com)

• A pig weighing nearly 300 pounds was discovered in the back of a wrecked car in Youngstown, Ohio. (Youngstown Vindicator)

• "Watch out boy, she'll chew you up." Hall & Oates wrote "Maneater" in 1982. Thirty years later comes a report that Oates is accused of biting Hall in the face. (WEWS-TV)

• Finally, if you're wondering what's happened to our alphabet over the last few hundred years, you've probably noticed how it seems that something is missing. Weep no more, as all shall be revealed! (Mental Floss via New Advent)

And that's all the news that fits. As the week goes on, stay tuned, and stay in touch.