Hot Links: It Was All a Dream. I Used to Read Persephone Magazine

If you click on only one link today, I sure as hell hope it's this one. Persephone Magazine is a daily blog featuring insightful, thought-provoking writing by talented women from every background. Go there. Be inspired. (Persephone Magazine)

OK, I may have told a bit of a white lie a minute ago. I'd also really appreciate it if you read this first hand account of the arrests of 291 people at Occupy LA. The author was among those arrested, and mistreated, by the LAPD. Eye-opening and heartwrenching. (MyOccupyLAArrest)

And here's one link I will forgive you for avoiding like the plague - the key to the Bedbug's successful invasion of...everything, everywhere. Now I'm all itchy. (TIME Healthland)

Alec Baldwin was escorted off an American Airlines flight after a flight attendant asked him to stop playing Words With Friends while the plane was still parked at the gate. I admit I've never played WWF, but now I kinda wanna. The sudden near-illegality of it has strengthened its lure...like drive-texting. Or heroin. (Celebitchy)

The stress of running a country may not speed up the aging process, but it sure does look like it. (CNN)

Karl Lagerfeld drawing Karl Lagerfeld! While wearing fingerless gloves!! SCRIBBLE. (Chime.In)

Today is the 70th anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Here's an interesting article on how the attack, and World War II, led to the rapid growth and development of California and the entire West Coast of America. (SFGate)

According to this article, three-quarters of climate change can be attributed to the influence of humans. Well, duh. (Nature)

Guns N' Roses, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys have been chosen for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Flea's real name is Michael? I guess that shouldn't blow my mind, but it does. (CBSNews)

An Islamic cleric has forbidden women from being near or touching zucchini, cucumbers, carrots and bananas, for fear that they might become sexually aroused from handling them. You know, because we ladies are such filthy pigs that we can't make a salad without climaxing all over the kitchen. (bikyamasr)

The New York Times has created a "visual time capsule" from photographs, submitted by readers, of our world and the seven billion humans populating it. Beautiful. (The New York Times)

The US Air Force is paying SETI to search for life on some of the more potentially habitable planets discovered by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope. I wonder if anyone's told Jodi Foster. (BoingBoing)

Lifehacker shows us how to open anything and everything when we're feeling weak. Or when we haven't got a big, strong man to do it for us. Amirite, ladies? (Lifehacker)

Don't have enough time or money for a trip to Italy? No worries, just head to The Vatican's website and check out their amazing, breathtaking 3-D look at the Sistine Chapel. (The Vatican)

Something tells me that sending a woman a letter quite like this one is a surefire way to a second date. I mean, what's not to like? (Gawker)

Here are Life Magazine's 2011 Pictures of the Year. Also, it's December and I'm still somehow managing to type 2001 every single time I attempt to type 2011. No, I don't know why. (LIFE)

The only thing I learned from Mark Zuckerberg's hacked Facebook photos, besides how boring the dude seems to be, is that I MUST HAVE his kitchen. (Daily Mail)

Behold the "Leaproach." I will admit right here and now that I didn't really watch this. I closed my eyes and listend to the accompanying music. My fear of cockroaches is somewhere in line with my fear of swimming with sharks in a tank filled with blood. Yes.

Phew, thank goodness it's over. Now check out this rad (seriously, rad) manhole cover art. Pure imagination. (Web Urbanist)

And, because there's a how-to guide for every-damn-thing these days, here's Allure's guide for handling the post-holiday party walk of shame. Tip #1: Don't forget to remove the tinsel from your cleavage. (Allure)

This is Marcel. He is partially a shell, and he wears shoes. He feels good about himself. So should you.

And Part Two. Take note of the computer screen while he's standing on the keyboard. Try not to pee yourself.