Word #1 (Associate Freely)

OK, here's how it works. Behind the cut there is a word (or phrase). After you click the cut and read the word, open a comment window and write down your first few thoughts or associations and send them back to me. Nothing is too weird; it doesn't have to make any sense at all. Just the first thing you think of, and more if you want.
OK, what is the first thing to come to mind:
( cut )

I need to talk to Oprah

I heard yesterday that she's supporting Obama. And I want to talk to her about it. He's smart and cute and inspiring, but he doesn't have the answer to our 9 trillion in debt or to what to do about the buildup to WWIII and the rapture. He'd make a great vice president. Train him in for a long reign after someone else has engineered the U-turn for our country. He is a constitutional scholar and law school professor, after all.

Skewing the Definition of "Fat"

Cocaine use is way up in Europe, from 3.5 million users last year to 4.5 this year.
The wall between Arizona and Mexico is under construction.

But also in the news: a recent JAMA study found that "overweight" people live longer on average than either "healthy weight" or very skinny people. The "anti-fat" doctors were apparently outraged. Then everyone suddenly realized that the BMI index is inadquate for evaluating people's level of obesity--because it does not, cannot take into account differing weights of muscle, bone and fat.

I know that the scale is off because my whole life I've been "overweight" according to the BMI scale, while I was a lot fitter than some of the people around me who were not "overweight". Even when I'm very lean, I'm at the heavy end of the scale.

I guess the first time I realized this was in college when we measured body fat on everyone in my health class. I was in with the guys with a % fat in the low teens. The girls in the class were coming out 25% fat or more. One particularly willowy thin girl was 28% fat. We had to talk about that. How could she be such a high percentage? She would be "healthy weight" according to the BMI index, or maybe underweight. But in fact she was quite sedentary and ate like a bird. She didn't have much appetite.

There's no moral to the story.

Libertarian Party wants Ron Paul back

The Libertarian National Committee has decided to invite Ron Paul to seek the Libertarian nomination. So it looks like Ron Paul will be in the race whether he gets the Republican nomination or not... but I still think we should focus on getting enough people registered Republican to slam the primaries. If that fails, then we'll see what we can do about this Libertarian party. There are some issues. Anyway, here's the breaking news about the party being ready to ride:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/017570.html

Song: Boat on a River

Take me back to my boat on the river
I need to go down, I need to come down
Take me back to my boat on the river
And I won't cry out anymore
( the rest of the song )

Song: Life Uncommon

Don't worry mother
It'll be alright
And don't worry sister
Say your prayers and sleep tight
And it'll be fine
Lover of mine
It'll be just fine
( lyrics )