Random Thoughts 12/7/07

• Today is the 66th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. May God bless our servicemen and women.
• The year is almost over and that means that Time Magazine will soon select someone for Person of the Year. It's been a bit hit-and-miss in recent years but 2007 has such an obvious candidate that it will be a miscarriage of justice if he's not selected: General David Petraeus. Who has had a bigger impact in the last twelve months? Only willful ignorance can keep him from being considered. But knowing Time, they'll pick Mother Earth or her high priest, Al Gore.
• The Royals are bringing back the powder blue uniforms of the past. Maybe that'll help. I don't follow baseball closely but it sure seems that with a new manager and looser purse strings that the team has a brighter future ahead.
• According to Social Security records, the name "Hillary" was increasingly popular from the sixties through 1992 (the year Bill Clinton took office) when the name peaked at the 131st most popular name for baby girls. But then it dropped suddenly and dramatically through the nineties, to 868th in 1998 and off the top 1000 list completely by 2002. "Hillary" currently sits at 982.
• Kansas basketball is now 8-0 and going strong, ranked #3 in the nation. But perhaps more noteworthy is Kansas State's star freshman, Michael Beasley, who leads the nation in scoring and rebounding with 8 double doubles in as many games. K-State is now 5-3, as is Mizzou; both teams are on two game losing steaks.
• When she's not driving us crazy, we love that dog. But we just have to do more training with her; dogs don't naturally behave all on their own. And Sophie can be quite a handful especially around small children.