Popular Culture

15 September 2003


Tony Benn Cuts Rap CD
Venerable socialist and former Member of Parliament, Tony Benn has added a new endeavor to his resume; he's a rapper. The 78-year-old, tweed-wearing, tea-sipping Red has released a CD, "Tony Benn's Greatest Hits." The former Viscount Stansgate's disc can be found near those by Eminem, Fifty Cent, and the Wu Tang Clan. And he proves that there is nothing more terrifying that an angry old white man. For more, click here.

Lund University Lowers the Bar
British wit Clive James may have had it right when he said that everyone has a right to a university degree in America, even if it's in Hamburger Technology. But it seems the Swedes will be taking education to new depths as Lund University appoints Scandinavia's first professor of parapsychology, hypnology and clairvoyance. One wonders if they can guess what the Kensington Review thinks of the idea. Click here to read on.

Duck's Quack Does Echo After All
Folk tradition has it that, out of all the sounds in the world, a duck's quack is the only one that doesn't have an echo. At first glance, that sounds like rubbish. An echo is nothing more than sound waves being reflected, yet apparently, something about the quack is different. Thanks to acoustic expert Trevor Cox at the University of Salford (near Manchester for those outside Britain), the world knows that folk tradition is nonsense. The lesson here is to doubt constantly. Click here to read more.