the weekly lynx, 2/23/15

• Point/counterpoint time! Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with employing a little of column A/column B thinking here, but what do I know? I'm far from an expert. These two, however, will get you asking the right questions.
•  Misgovernment, not religion, has sunk the Middle East
• What ISIS Really Wants
•  The Oscars ceremony was this weekend...last night, in fact. I found myself caring even less than usual. Yeah, I think there's value in knowing what the media says about itself, but I am no longer a media scholar, so I have no professional interest. And while I am both a consumer and creator of art, we're also talking about the most corporate kind of art, and a glitzy display dedicated to the most artistic corporate production? I'd rather spend my time writing songs, thank you very much. But if there is a good reason why this should be important, it's because of the horrible record Hollywood has in representation. Case in point? Women in Film shows some pretty scary statistics that pretty heavily suggest that females really have a pretty huge case for getting angry at the film industry.
• The best bit of sculpture you will see this week is the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in Lego. Must I say any more?
• My birthday is coming up this weekend. And while I would be happy with someone just wanting to hang out with me for a change, I do have two suggestions for gifts if you're feeling generous:
• How about this wall-mounted T-Rex head? It would look great in my office.
• I would also accept an offer to buy me this Lego set of the HMS Beagle when/if it comes out. I also would be fine with the cash equivalent.