Random Thoughts

JMS is reporting that Richard Biggs, who played Dr Stephen Franklin on Babylon 5, has died. He was only 43. My thanks to Mike Sterling for passing on the sad news. I've met Richard Biggs. He pulled a terribly funny joke on Jason Carter at Anglicon one year. Now the joke seems sadly inappropriate. Richard and Jason at Anglicon.

I noticed that Legomancer indicated how many of the top 300 books for April he'd bought, so I decided to check for myself and see how many of them I got. Let's see... At number 4, Marvel 1602. Next would be number 15, Amazing Spider-Man #65. Then numbers 18 and 21, JLA #96 and JLA #97. That's four, I'm already equal to Legomancer's total. I bought the book at 24, Supreme Power #9. And the book at 34, Conan #3, and the book at 42, Outsiders #11. I also got JSA #60 which came in at 44 on the list and Superman: Birthright #9 which was at 53. Green Lantern #176 (56), Green Arrow #37 (59), Birds of Prey #66 (64), Thor #77 (66), Arrowsmith/Astro City (78), Batman: Harley & Ivy #1 (80), Swamp Thing #2 (84), and Aquaman #17 (88). Whew. Seventeen of the top 100 alone. I tried to count what I read out of the remaining 200, but it looks like they included re-orders, so it's hard to tell.

ICv2 has posted a nice archive page of their top 300 comics lists.

Here's a couple more reviews of Aquaman #18: Silver Bullet Comics and Cornwell's Daily Review.

You think your diet is tough? Try these Weight Watchers recipe cards from 1974. Or rather, don't try them. Just look at the pictures and shudder in disbelief. Via OxBlog.

Here's a neat page of puzzles, including some impossible objects. Via Metafilter.

Another person responds to my tent city post, pointing out how hypocritical it is for a Christian school to go into lockdown over new neighbors moving in. Thanks, De. I thought so too.

WARNING POLITICAL RANTS AHEAD

"Controlled studies show that it results in 54% fewer juvenile arrests and 69% fewer juvenile convictions and probation violations. And for every dollar it costs, four dollars are saved in future costs. Why aren't tough-on-crime conservatives all over it?" Visit Respectful of Otters to find out what "it" is. Via Political Animal.

From kitanzi via Garrett Firzgerald: "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

This is in response to House Majority leader Tom DeLay claiming that criticism of the President is "putting American lives at risk." The suggestion is that everyone write a nice postcard to Mr. DeLay and let him know that he is acting in an unpatriotic, servile, and morally treasonable way by sending him just the Roosevelt quote.

There was a third rant, but I deleted it. It was too much, even for me.

END POLITICAL RANTS