Recently in Random thoughts Category

You know, this is going to sound crazy but when I read the story about the escaped tiger at the San Francisco zoo, I had a sense of foreboding. Coming as it did -- on Christmas day -- it seemed a stark reminder that the bottom can fall out at any time.

Now Benazir Bhutto is dead in Rawalpindi in an act of carnage so sudden and brutal that it shocks the conscience.

And no matter what I do, I can't get the foreshadowing image of that rampaging tiger out of my mind. It is simply...too much. If this were something that had been described in a novel, or shown in a movie, you'd walk away thinking, "Nah. Too unbelievable."

And yet here we are.

P.S. All the "Top stories of 2007" articles have already been written. But surely this one would have to be at, or near, the very top. We can only watch in anxious anticipation as to what might happen in the coming year.

Randy Paush is dying but he wants to tell you what he's learned about living.

Randy is a professor at Carnegie-Mellon University. In September, he delivered his "Last Public Lecture", entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." This talk was modeled after an ongoing series of lectures where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk", i.e., "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?"

In Randy's case it wasn't hypothetical -- in August he was told he had 3-6 months left to live a "normal" life.

Since giving his lecture, the video has been downloaded over 1 million times. It runs about 90 minutes (the first 8:30 are introductions and testimonials). Settle in and watch it -- it is deeply moving but, at the same time, upbeat and inspirational.

On October 22, he appeared on Oprah's show and delivered a 10 minute version of the lecture.

Take some time out of your busy schedule right now and listen to what Randy has to say. It will stay with you far longer than anything else you'll hear or see today.

...Live in a world where you needed a quarter to get into every bathroom (including the ones in your home)

...OR...

...where every bathroom only had one square of tissue?

(From Zobmondo! The outrageous book of bizarre choices, Workman Publishing, 2001)

From StoryEvent:

[First,] you indicate that you're interested in buying a big fat warranty...

...then ask ask the sales assistant to lower the item's price. Since big box electronics stores are often pushed to sell warranties, they'll be willing to budge on the price of your item - especially if it's got a big price tag.

[But wait, there's more...]

Then when checkout time comes, you have a change of heart on the warranty. Simple enough.

(HT to Lifehacker)

by Mark Adams

Go to any town square in middle America and you will witness an interesting architectural phenomenon which speaks volumes to our collective cultural history.

Holding a prime piece of real estate will be a large, impressive church that has been standing for well over one hundred years.  It may even have a plaque designating it as a protected historical building, but you can be sure it has been in continuous operation servicing a dedicated congregation for generations.

Looking across the street, usually in the center of the square, will be the courthouse. Often this building enjoys historical significances as well. Originally it was the center of all government power, whose functions have long since outgrown their original building -- outsourced to taller, box-like structures ringing the square.  But you can get there from the unmistakable old courthouse whose employees are more than willing to tell you where to go.

I marveled at this as a young lawyer, traveling to a city I hadn't been to before, and instantly recognizing where to go simply by heading to the center of town, parking close to the building that looked like it was where I should be, and as long as I was in the proper uniform -- suit, tie, briefcase in hand -- i would politely be directed to my designated cubbyhole via signs and helpful security.

However, over the last several decades, another garish building has dominated the center of the city. Literally overshadowing the quaint courthouse and high spires of the church is the county lock-up.

It seems a truly sad commentary on American society that an ugly, cinderblock monstrosity, a jail, is now the dominant building downtown -- literally overshadowing those other icons of our growth as a nation.

Seven Million in Prison: US Has Most Prisoners in World: "Tough sentencing laws, record numbers of drug offenders and high crime rates have contributed to the United States having the largest prison population and the highest rate of incarceration in the world, according to criminal justice experts. A US Justice Department report released on November 30 showed that a record 7 million people - or one in every 32 American adults - were behind bars, on probation or on parole at the end of last year."

(Via t r u t h o u t.)

by Mark Adams

This is an absurd statment:

The Washington Times wants Speaker Hastert to resign. To do so would be to capitulate to Democratic-activist-induced and MSM-abetted hysteria. Not only should Hastert not resign, he should use every opportunity to swing back hard at a MSM deeply compromised by its ideological extremism and a Democratic Party committed to retreat and defeat in Iraq and fecklessness in the war generally.

There are both factual assumptions quite at odds with reality and an illogical linkage to the the assumptions he makes. Yet this is the kind of stupidity spewed out by the Reich Wing punocracy on a regular basis -- adored by Wingnuttystan.

Are they just trying to where us down with this drivel, or is it an active attempt to dumb-down America?

Rosemary blows her whistle and demands that everyone come out of the pool!

"Who on the Right advocated the killing of journalists?"

Well, for starters, she ought to look around her own home -- she's living under the same roof with one of them. And she's got a book on her nightstand from another one.

But that isn't the only thing that's bugging me:

Is she suggesting that killing journalists is worth a comment or two but killing of your political enemies is not?

And lastly, why are these people so angry and vicious? Don't they know that their side controls everything that happens in this country? Talk about sore winners!

God help us all -- here and around the world -- if they lose the next election.

Torture is OK but blow jobs are beyond the pale.

Glenn Greenwald:

When it becomes commonplace to hurl accusations of treason against domestic political opponents, or when calls for imprisonment and/or hanging of journalists and political leaders become the daily fare -- all of which is true for the pro-Bush blogosphere -- those are serious developments. And they merit discussion and examination by the media.

This has been happening for quite some time -- read the Greenwald piece for details -- yet (because of it?) the traditional media has ignored this developing situation.

...[L]et us read about the extremist rhetoric, vicious character smears, and deliberate incitement to violence that has become the staple of the largest pro-Bush blogs --Malkin, Powerline, Instapundit and LGF -- along with the bloggers whom they tirelessly promote [Ed. Note: and the bloggers who tirelessly promote them back].

Hundreds of thousands of people each day, including pundits and television news producers, are reading this material. The journalistic value in examining it and reporting on it ought to be self-evident.

Instead, all we hear about -- incessantly -- is Bush Derangement Syndrome.

UPDATE: Nitpicker wants to know:

Why is the opposition of a candidate [Lieberman] considered an "Inquisition" from the left, but death threats from the right get ignored? Why is it worth covering an in-house Kos spat, but not the calls to violence by frequent guests on national news programs like Michelle Malkin and David Horowitz?

Rasmussen says that Bush's uptick in their poll (into the low 40's) "is the result of his base coming home."

Translation: his base loves it that we're mortified at the thought of 2+ more years of this:

They like to call it "Bush Derangement Syndrome," (a term coined by the self-important and ghastly pundit-psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer). But honestly, what does it say about "his base" that they look at Bush and feel pride?

P.S. Speaking of polls, Fox News has Bush's approval rating dropping 5 points (into the mid 30's again) over the last two weeks.

"It is important to remember that the president got his bounce after the killing of al-Zarqawi in Iraq," comments Opinion Dynamics Chairman John Gorman. "While administration officials were careful not to overplay the significance of this, it naturally created hope that things would get better. Several weeks of bloody footage from Iraq have pretty much dashed those hopes."

Except for the base -- who loves it that we're depressed about another 2+ years with this guy at the wheel.

Stay the course!