'Barbie come to life'

A literary agent has submitted a book proposal on behalf of Paris Hilton, suggesting that "many people want to know her -- or be her" and that the celebutante "has the life that most of America's young girls and teens can only dream about." The proposal goes on to detail chapters that spell out how to emulate Hilton ("Figure out how to be tall and lanky and never gain weight" is one sample bit of advice).

Don't you shudder to think of this book in the hands of "America's young girls and teens"?

In other linx:

The BBC website has a online exhibit of the photos of renowned Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama. But for a real treat, see his official site (Shockwave required -- takes a while to load, too, so be patient).

Harvard officials have approved the publication of student-created erotica magazines, as long as they don't take nude photos in campus buildings. I'd take that as a challenge.

In a stunning move, Fox News bomb-thrower Bill O'Reilly apologized this morning for uncritically accepting the Bush administration's WMD claims last year. O'Reilly is well known for his sneering on-air persona and for telling guests to "shut up."

In a related story, Pat Nixon admitted to being Deep Throat. Just kidding.

And the day wouldn't be complete without a jaw-dropping story from Australia. A swimmer was bitten by a 23-inch shark, which refused to let go, so the guy swam in and drove his car to a nearby facility to seek help, with the shark attached to his leg the whole time. He took the whole thing in "remarkably good spirits" -- the man, not the shark, that is.