"I don't believe in racism... sexism.. or any ism."

I just saw a commercial that included the above quote. I didn't really understand what the commercial was trying to say, other than to tell me - the viewer - to click on the site of the TV channel on which the commerical was airing.

But it led me to think:

1. The commercial was ripping off a line from Ferris Bueller: "Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an ism - he should believe in himself."
2. If you reject theism, atheism, and agnosticism, where are you left?

February is slipping by - why isn't Brownie blogging?

Okay. So, I guess this February is turning into a month of very light blogging. I didn't really plan it that way, but that's how it turned out. Much like life, right? You plan to do something, and it doesn't turn out the way you expected. Or, you didn't plan to do something, but somehow you did it anyway.

Enough of philosophizing. Let's turn our attention to art from one of the greatest toys of the '80's - Rubik's Cube!

Ladies, if you want to have 8 kids at once, you'll probably look like this.

The Octo-mom, just days before she gave birth.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln.

I could not truly call myself an Illinois blogger if I didn't note that two hundred years ago on this day, Abraham Lincoln was born. Yes, it's true that he was born in a log cabin in Kentucky and spent his childhood there and in Indiana, but his family moved to Illinois when he was 21 years old. He stayed in the state for many years, rising from rail splitter to lawyer to one-term Illinois congressman to... well, back to being a lawyer. He only left Illinois after taking a job that required relocation.

What would life be like in America today if Lincoln had decided that his one term in Congress was enough of a political life for him? What if he had found satisfaction in being a lawyer? What if he determined that Illinois was where he was going to stay?

Fortunately, we don't have to dwell on those "what ifs," because we know his history. His history is an integral part of our national history. Indeed, the United States of America probably would not exist in this day - as it is - without him. Much has been written about him (see here for one blogger's list of books), and most likely there will be more. Each new book broadens our view of him, but we may never truly ascertain his greatness.

Happy birthday, President Lincoln. May each president, not just our current one, seek to emulate you.

"He saw Jamal Anderson and Mark Hudson sniffing two lines of powdered cocaine off the back of the toilet.”

A police officer caught Anderson, formerly a running back for the Atlanta Falcons, and his "friend" doing lines of coke off a toilet in a bar. You have to wonder (1) how clean the toilet was at 3:00 AM on a Sunday and (2) how pathetic Anderson's life has become if he's doing lines of coke off the toilet in a bar at 3:00 AM on a Sunday.

"I should be competing for an Oscar with del Toro."

I find this amusing because Sean Penn isn't saying that he's unworthy to be considered for an Oscar this year, so Benicio del Toro should take his spot. No, he's saying that both he and del Toro delivered performances worthy of a nomination, and one of the other four - Richard Jenkins, Frank Langella, Brad Pitt, or Mickey Rourke - should not have been nominated. Any guesses as to who he would drop? My money's on Jenkins, since he's the least-known of the group.

It's presently 56° here in Danville, Illinois

So, naturally, my thoughts turn to global warming. Should we have that high a temperature at this time of year? We're nearly a third into February now, and I'm thinking it should be at least 20 degrees colder.

Well, while we're pondering our own personal roles in global warming, let's get to watching a heart-warming video, shall we?



Wasn't that wonderful? I'm going outside to enjoy the sunshine now. And, perhaps, pick up an SUV.

Solitude & Technology

Can it coexist? Are we truly alone if the world is at our fingertips? Neil Swidey penned - or typed, rather - an essay about that very idea.

What do you think of Obama's job so far?

Instapundit wants to know. He's been president for two weeks now. I almost voted "epic fail," just to be funny, but I decided to take the poll seriously and go with "not bad, with a few teething pains."

In my view, the teething pains have to be coming from this guy, although some people manage Obama's handling of this as a means to continue spouting campaign slogans. Let's hope we don't hear those words from Obama on a regular basis, Andrew.

10 cinematic clichés that must die!

It's hard to disagree with this list, especially numbers 3 and 5.

The picture accompanying #9 is of Robin Williams from The Fisher King. It isn't a completely terrible movie, unless you count the scene where Williams strips naked and shows the full monty. Jeff Bridges does well with his role, but then he's usually good in practically everything he's in.

Evil Republicans make it in at #8. "All Republicans in movies or TV are evil. They’re all trying to cheat the public, start unnecessary wars, take away civil rights and turn the country into a fascist dictatorship. And, of course, it’s saintly Democrats who save the day." I suppose that if films want to be more truthful, they should portray Democrats as tax evaders with memory problems.