You know what I'd like to eat right now? A really good brownie...

What is God's favorite color?

I'm sure you've wondered about that. It's beige.

Waldenbooks is leaving Danville

Very sad news today for Vermilion County book-lovers. Dragon's Horde announced a few weeks ago that it would be shutting the door by November 20. And now it looks like Waldenbooks will be leaving the Village Mall.

The Waldenbooks at the Village Mall is one of 200 mall-based Waldenbooks stores that the Borders chain plans to close, according to an announcement Thursday. The Borders Group intends to close the stores in January, although the list of stores is not final and is subject to change, pending finalization of agreements in coming weeks, according to the company's news release posted on its Web site Thursday.

Cindy Compton, general manager of the Village Mall in Danville, said late Thursday afternoon she had not yet spoken with Borders officials and was awaiting their call to discuss the situation. "Our position is that we will see what we can do to convince them to reconsider our site," Compton said. "They have been a wonderful, valuable tenant."

"Since the start of the Afghan war in 2001... the base has also lost at least 75 of its soldiers to suicide."

Fort Hood in Texas, the scene of a horrific event earlier today, has had its share of tragedies.

The base's former commander, Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, used his tenure at the helm of the sprawling post to mount a broad campaign to reduce the incidence of PTSD and suicide among the soldiers on the post.

At Gen. Lynch's direction, the base constructed a new Resiliency Campus spread out over a series of buildings near the base's chapel. The new facilities include a Spiritual Fitness Center for soldiers to meditate, rest and think, and a Cognitive Enhancement Assistance Center that offers counseling and other life-planning services.

The base also houses the Army's Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program, which aims to help soldiers deal with stress and the return to peacetime life.

Despite the efforts, however, Fort Hood continues to be hit hard by suicide, PTSD and other related problems. Through October, 10 Fort Hood soldiers had taken their lives in 2009, the second-highest tally in the Army behind Kentucky's Fort Campbell, which had 16 suicides.

If you are a believer in Christ, please pray for the families of those who were killed, for those who were wounded, and for the alleged shooter and his family as well. It is a Christian's duty to do this.

"Clinton wishes he had left White House in a coffin"

That's the headline for this story, which I read and thought: Did Bill Clinton want to emulate JFK so much that he wanted to be assassinated while in office? But, no, it was just a silly headline.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Monday he would have preferred to leave the White House in a coffin because he loved being commander in chief, but signaled his political life was over.

"It's good that we have a (term) limit. Otherwise I would have stayed until I was carried away in a coffin. Or defeated in an election," Clinton said at a conference in Istanbul. "I loved doing the job."

10 Million Words

Uh, oh. Looks like somebody wants to join A.J. Jacobs and Julie Powell in the Let's-do-something-outrageous-and-write-a-book-about-it Club. I mean, I don't actually know if he'll write a book about his experience, but it's the kind of thing Jacobs and Powell would admire. I just wonder, how will he find time to spend with his wife and kids?

America’s bestselling books tell us, I’m sure, who America is, who her people are, at this time and place. Surely they will give me a glimpse into the world’s most powerful, the world’s most fascinating nation.

So why am I doing it? That is a fair question and one that does not offend me in the least. There are a few answers. First, I love to read and this project gives me an opportunity to read a lot. That, as I see it, is a good thing. Second, it is a challenge and I like to face a good challenge. I expect this project to involve at least ten million words of reading–break that down and you’ll see that it comes to at least three books per week over the course of an entire year. Third, I am interested in the cultural and worldview implications of all of these books. They will provide, I’m sure, a snapshot of where America is at as she enters a new decade. And for me, as a Canadian who spends a fair amount of time wandering the United States and who has family living in the United States, this stands to be particularly interesting.

Good luck, Tim.

For Halloween 2009, the Obamas were a "middle-aged dad" and a "leopard"

Halloween at the White House:

The first lady was dressed as a leopard, with a smear of eyeliner, fuzzy ears and a spotted orange-and-black top. The president was dressed as a middle-aged dad, with a black cardigan, checkered shirt and sensible brown slacks. Together they handed out treats on the steps of the north portico of the White House Saturday night, sending some trick-or-treaters into fits of shock and joy.

Isn't the president already a middle-aged dad? With the sweater, I'm thinking he looks more like Bill Cosby than some generic dad. I supposed the sweater would have to be really colorful to get the Cliff Huxtable look right.

We didn't have too many trick-or-treaters around here. Just two groups of kids, about ten all total. I guess a lot of people are opting for community events. Our church hosted what was called "The Switch," with games and candy - and a Gospel presentation, of course. Quite a few kids in ninja costumes this year.

"In many ways, he's sent from God because the world's a mess."

Sting identifies Obama as the savior of the world.

The British singer, who released the seasonal album "On A Winter's Night" this week, said he's fascinated by American politics, Obama, and also by Obama's opponents on the right.

"It's aggressive and violent and full of fear," he said of the backlash against Obama. "They don't want change, they want things to feel the same because they feel safe there."

Sting, 58, said he's hopeful that the world's problems can be dealt with, but is frustrated that "we seem to be living in a currency of medieval ideas."

"My hope is that we can start talking about real issues and not caring about whether God cares about your hemline or your color," he said. "We are here to evolve as one family, and we can't be separate anymore."

There's always a bigger fish in the sea

One great white is mauled by another. I guess the moral is this: if you think you're Big and Bad, there's probably somebody Bigger and Badder.

Why you playing with that, Levi?

You read this kind of thing, and you think, What has happened to his life? Is he a pawn? Is someone using him? Can a 19-year-old man think for himself, or is someone doing the thinking for him? Will he regret this ten years from now... five years from now... two seconds after he puts his clothes back on?

Rex Butler, a lawyer for the 19-year-old father of Sarah Palin's grandchild, says it is a "foregone conclusion" Johnston will pose nude for Playgirl and is now getting gym-ready three hours a day, six nights a week, working out with an Anchorage body builder, the Associated Press reports.

How long does it take to be fully and completely "gym-ready?"

Ah, I see I'm not the only one concerned about Mr. Johnston.

Hitch on the lessons of religious debates

Christopher Hitchens writes about what debating Christians in general (and Douglas Wilson in particular) has taught him:

I haven't yet run into an argument that has made me want to change my mind. After all, a believing religious person, however brilliant or however good in debate, is compelled to stick fairly closely to a "script" that is known in advance, and known to me, too. However, I have discovered that the so-called Christian right is much less monolithic, and very much more polite and hospitable, than I would once have thought, or than most liberals believe. I haven't been asked to Bob Jones University yet, but I have been invited to Jerry Falwell's old Liberty University campus in Virginia, even though we haven't yet agreed on the terms.

Wilson isn't one of those evasive Christians who mumble apologetically about how some of the Bible stories are really just "metaphors." He is willing to maintain very staunchly that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and that his sacrifice redeems our state of sin, which in turn is the outcome of our rebellion against God. He doesn't waffle when asked why God allows so much evil and suffering—of course he "allows" it since it is the inescapable state of rebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions and who look upon faith as just another word for community organizing.

You can find information on the DVD Collision here, even if you don't see the point.

Them eyes

It is far better for you to look at them than for them to look at you. (Thanks, Instapundit)

Oh, no! It's THEM!

All Hallow's Eve

A very sensible view of Halloween. Thanks, TMH.

Mental illness, stigma, and Alex Forrest

Glenn Close has a great article for HuffPo on the stigma of mental illness.

Even as the medicine and therapy for mental health disorders have made remarkable progress, the ancient social stigma of psychological illness remains largely intact. Families are loath to talk about it and, in movies and the media, stereotypes about the mentally ill still reign.

Whether it is Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in The Shining, or Kathy Bates' portrayal of Annie Wilkes in Misery, scriptwriters invariably tell us that the mentally ill are dangerous threats who must be contained, if not destroyed. It makes for thrilling entertainment.

There are some notable exceptions, of course -- Dustin Hoffman in Rainman, or Russell Crowe's portrayal of John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. But more often than not, the movie or TV version of someone suffering from a mental disorder is a sociopath who must be stopped.

Remember Balloonboy

(HT: BHT)

a balloon and his boy

If you're going to go on national TV and say that what happened wasn't a hox, be sure that everyone's in agreement about that. You could have trouble if they aren't.

Don't judge too quickly