But what faith does Rep. Ellison place in the number 19?

I noticed in today's election returns that Keith Ellison managed to win a seat to Congress from Minnesota's delegation. The results are here.

The bit of controversy on Ellison has to do with his past possible affiliation with (or at least soft spot for) the Nation of Islam. Details on some of his past ties can be found in various places, like this Minnesota Public Radio story.

This reminded me of a bookmark I saved on del.icio.us quite some time ago: Louis Farrakhan's address at the Million Man March. Read it, it's hilarious.

Polly & Anna, RIP

October 1991 - November 1, 2006

The picture was taken on Halloween 2006. Polly is on the left, Anna on the right.

A falling camel attracts many knives?

I finished reading Mark Steyn's America Alone on the plane up to Detroit (kind of appropriate, eh?) tonight. It is a bit alarming, but not much that was 'new' information, so not really all that surprising. I'd seen bits and pieces of the same data in news stories over the years, but Steyn rolls it all up to paint a pretty depressing picture (one that I can't say I disagree with).

He spends plenty of time on immigrant birth rates in Europe as compared to the native population, discussing how he thinks this will change the makeup of Europe in decades to come. The one area he touches on (but doesn't delve into nearly enough,) is how he sees America being changed demographically during the same span -- and if this change allows American exceptionalism (one of the themes of the book) to persist.

The post's title is ripped off from one of the final chapters. He says that it is an old Arabic proverb taken from the opening of Prayers for the Assassin. It's another way of saying that 'the street' respects the strong and savages the weak (backing the strong horse, and all that...).

The book ends with a passage from a late 19th century Sir Arthur Conan Doyle book (The Tragedy of the Korosko). It's almost funny to read -- one of the characters lamenting how Great Britain is forced to be the policeman to the world...even conspiracy theories that Great Britain invented a threat! Echoes of the present...

I recommend the book.

Short takes on other recent reads:

• Sam Harris' A Letter To A Christian Nation was last (too short, too lightweight; I liked The End of Faith better).
• William Easterly's The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics: Thumbs Up - Funny, Sad
• Chris Anderson's The Long Tail: Why The Future of Business is Selling Less of More. 256 pages for something that could have been communicated in 10.

Gotta start somewhere..

So it seems I've given into Brandon's suggestions and created one of these too. Even Chocolate Thunder has been suggesting it -- and who can resist Chocolate Thunder? I promise to keep it free of pretentious diatribes on x, y, or z.

The news of the day: I (best guess) seem to have left my driver's license, my phone (the Sony Ericsson Z525a, not the Nokia 6822), and $20 on the trunk of my car after returning from a bike ride this morning. The phone is alive -- wherever it is -- as it still rings and takes me to voicemail..but I have no idea where. I've walked the parking lot (the Starbucks at 71/2222/620) twice, along with the ditches along 71 where I pulled out afterward. I've visited Galaxy Cafe, where I went after riding. No luck. Cingular said I'd have to pay the uncommitted price ($209! For a phone that is $29 for a new customer, after rebates!) to get the same phone again..but only $25 for a new SIM. So, it looks like keeping the unlocked Nokia around worked out after all...

Bonus points if anyone realizes the origin of this site's URL..