brains? Well, that's probably not an entirely fair assessment. But according to a recent University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, nearly 33 percent of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs once roamed the Earth at the same time. Not only that, but 51 percent don't believe in human evolution and a shocking 14 percent "don't know" what to believe. To be fair though, I also asked the human/dinosaur question in first grade, and though I can't recall the exact response from Sister Susan Louise, it was along the lines of "Don't you ever ask that question again." Granted, the article wasn't conducted to show what cavemen Texans ostensibly are, but rather to see how religion influences politics. Below is an excerpt from the poll results and for the full article check it here.

The differences in beliefs about evolution and the length of time that living things have existed on earth are reflected in the political and religious preference of our respondents, who were asked four questions about biological history and God:

• 38 percent said human beings developed over millions of years with God guiding the process and another 12 percent said that development happened without God having any part of the process. Another 38 percent agreed with the statement "God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago."

• Asked about the origin and development of life on earth without injecting humans into the discussion, and 53 percent said it evolved over time, "with a guiding hand from God." They were joined by 15 percent who agreed on the evolution part, but "with no guidance from God." About a fifth — 22 percent — said life has existed in its present form since the beginning of time.

• Most of the Texans in the survey — 51 percent — disagree with the statement, "human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals." Thirty-five percent agreed with that statement, and 15 percent said they don't know.

• Did humans live at the same time as the dinosaurs? Three in ten Texas voters agree with that statement; 41 percent disagree, and 30 percent don't know.

The questions were devised by David Prindle, a University of Texas government professor who authored a book called Stephen Jay Gould and the Politics of Evolution, about the late evolutionary biologist. "The end in mind … is to establish the relationships, not just to get raw public opinion," he says. "We can do some fancy statistical stuff. … Is it religion driving politics or is politics driving religion? My hypothesis is that religious views drive politics."

—mkl

Child, not Children, you sick bastard, anyway...

Oscars are coming and, duh, Meryl Streep is deservedly, I think, nom-ed for an umpteenth time (but then Julia Child was such a character, Dan Aykroyd may have done as fine a job on SNL pouring his life blood forth in a rendition of The French Chef). Well in case you missed it, there’s a halfway dumb 2009 movie called Julie and Julia about a blogger who sets out to take a year (exact) to make all of Child’s recipes (450 or something?) from Mastering the art of French Cooking, and blog about it. She, Julie, lives in Queens (poor thing), in a 900 square ft. apartment, with a douchey attaché guy who never stops eating (and talking, inanely, with his mouth wide open); she also works in a horrible cubicle for a ground zero redevelopment group, in customer service, fielding complaints of course.

As grimed down for the recession as J & J might seem after recent years' flicks set in NYC (i.e. like Sex and the City) the second portion of this foody romcom, breaded neatly together like Challah, is a boring story (imagine someone filming me writing this...and heck I just made an omelette too! But then l also don’t constantly talk with my mouth open like Mr. attaché dude, apparently someone making this film...the producers I hope, not director Nora Ephron, thought this was very interesting, or sexy? dunno.) ....sorry, am rambling.... a boring story which always cuts and alludes to Julia’s, played by Streep, which is totally interesting, if unfortunately halfway studied. And Streep is good, but Julia is better. So, master The Art of French Cooking for Valentines, that is if you can get to the bookstore and the market through all the snow. _^-CM

My friend Ben Sargent (remember him from the article on the Brooklyn Fishing Derby) has been a busy man. This past weekend he started the Underground Lobster Pound in Greenpoint Brooklyn. Long-starved for a good New England lobster roll, Ben started buying fresh lobsters and cooking them in his tiny apartment. He has a special technique for making what he calls his "road-side" lobster rolls, free from the extraneous ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, and other unnecessary garnishes. What he gives you is a simple sandwhich full of lobster meat on a grilled bun, which he butters and grills on both sides like a grilled cheese, and serves hot. He's been getting press from local food and scenester blogs like Jason Lam's Me So Hungry and the ubiquitous Free Williamsburg. The spot is appointment-only, so if you live in the Williamsburg and/or Greenpoint area make sure you contact him first. HIt him up on his site or on the Brooklyn Urban Anglers Facebook page.