Random Thoughts 6/10/08

I have bunch of links from the past several days to share. Here's a bunch of good reading, among other thoughts:

• Strategically plant trees to save on home energy costs. I have a great shade tree on the Southwest side of our house; I'm sure it saves us a bundle on those hot Summer afternoons.
• Here's a great new (to me) term: bete noire - French for the "black beast" meaning someone who is particularly disliked. I heard Dick Morris call Hillary "the bete noire of blue collar American men." Asking men to vote for Hillary was too much like asking them to elect their mother-in-law president.
• Obama. Looks great. Sounds great. Offers next to nothing of real substance. Have you seen the youtube video of him trying to articulate his foreign policy? I mean seriously! Do you hear what he's saying? And this goofball might win!!! Make sure you click "more info" to read what the video author wrote about this clip – it's good stuff.
• "Last week Democrats tried to kill the economy in the name of solving a problem that doesn't exist." That the lead sentence in this article about congress' attempt to fix global warming when it's not proven that our efforts can affect temperature in either direction.
• Was the war in Iraq worth it? Before you give a knee-jerk, uninformed response, read this.
• All the buzz is about the new iPhone, but have you watched the guided tour to Apple's new MobileMe service? That's exactly how it should work – your phone, your computer, and your work computer all sharing contacts, calendars, and emails seamlessly. Apple is calling it "Exchange for the rest of us."
• I got a call at work today asking if anyone in our church is selling English Bulldog pups. Uh… I don't think so… Better luck next time.
• Don't know anything about Black Liberation Theology? Read here.
• Best line this week: "Historically, performers, of any kind, singers, actors, actresses, storytellers (i.e. fiction writers) and the like, occupied the lowest rung in society. And for good reason - they didn't do anything constructive." - William Zeransk