On The Mark -- Random Thoughts

• Watch how fast we see policies and government oversight change now that it appears that sensitive financial data on over a thousand government employees, including some senators, was stolen by baggage handlers. When our brand-new sweaters and other items were being stolen in this new era of luggage transparency they didn't blink.
• It was nice, for once, to see a newspaper following television news. A couple nights ago Nightline did a story on the tipping point in the Middle East. I watched it, and it was interesting, although I've never really bought into that philosophy and thought that book was highly overrated. Anyway, Tom Friedman (who was a guest on the program) took it another step in his column today in the New York Times.
• S&M Marketing: What's up with some of these brand-name companies (e.g., Kraft) that name their products something like "road-kill candy." Are they really that stupid, or just pretending?
• Wouldn't it be something to have something from the stone age come back and kill us during this time of advanced technology? Scientists claim they have discovered a bacterium from 32,000 years ago that had been frozen in ice in Alaska.
• Wouldn't it be something if it turns out that Michael Jackson was being railroaded all along? A former paralegal who worked for the firm that is representing the key prosecution witness is said to have given a deposition this weekend stating that the mother of the witness lied and forced her son (the prosecution witness) to lie in another case against J.C. Penney, which included allegations of sexual abuse. Although he's whacky, I was one of the few (who isn't a die-hard fan) who said at the beginning that he may not be getting a fair shake.
• If Martha Stewart walks out of prison and goes on to more riches and fame -- more power to her. She paid her dues and was publicly humiliated. I don't care about her, but she definitely got taken for a ride because of her celebrity. I'm sure there are tens of thousands of others who have done the same thing as her, and probably for a lot more money.
• Further proof that rhetoric continues to win out over substance in the current White House administration. A 9-year-old whiz kid, who has been on several television programs to show off his knowledge of the history of the U.S. presidency, has been hired by the administration to go on a multi-city tour touting Bush's social security plan. I hope I don't have to explain why this is so utterly stupid. If I hear one adult say "that kid has a point, maybe Bush is right," then I'm going to just shoot myself and be done with it.