OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: “In Saudi Arabia, a 19-year-old woman is sentenced to 200 lashes. Her crime? She had been sitting alone in a car with a man who was not her husband when the two were abducted and raped by a gang of seven men. Had she not been raped, her “crime” would not have been prosecuted. Were that not obscene enough, now it seems her attorney will lose his law license for handling her defense too aggressively.” Remember this, whenever the Saudis pretend to be part of the civilized world.

IN WIRED, a review of the Canon HV20 HD camera.

THE CRANKY PROFESSOR isn’t convinced that springing for a big TV is the way to go.

On the other hand, there’s this observation: “Whenever you watch TV on your non-HD refrigerator, do you think to yourself, ‘Man, I wish this was in high-def’? I know I do.” But does it offer 6.1 surround sound?

I KNOW THAT A GOOD CHRISTMAS RETAIL SEASON IS IMPORTANT, but this headline kind of bugs me: Increased patrols aimed at keeping shoppers moving.

DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.

IN THE MAIL: Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin’s novel, Kill Zone. He’s also the author of Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper.

TAKING THOSE Internet political quizzes.

THE RETAIL SUPPORT BRIGADE CONTINUES TO OUTPERFORM EXPECTATIONS: “The nation’s retailers had a robust start to the holiday shopping season, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that tracks sales at retail outlets across the country. According to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets, total sales rose 8.3 percent to about $10.3 billion on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, compared with $9.5 billion on the same day a year ago. ShopperTrak had expected an increase of no more than 4 percent to 5 percent.”

Plus, praise for consumers.

HILLARY CLINTON learns from experience.

CANADA cools Kyoto.

I’M OKAY WITH THAT: The gangs of Iraq are killing each other off.

Related item here. And an item on reporting, here.

“LAUDABLE AGITPROP” against the troops. Well, it’s agitprop, anyway. Of course, since my high school football team attracted bigger crowds than Redacted got nationwide, it’s also ineffective agitprop.

NEW YORK TIMES: “AIDS has peaked.”

MARK STEYN has thoughts on diversity.

A POST-SPIN ELECTION?

PATENTING second-rate service.

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: “Really, the only thing worse than killing a bear is explaining why you didn’t kill the bear that killed a 3-year-old child.” It’s a David Baron problem. I’ve had some thoughts on this before.

UPDATE: Okay, this passage is too good not to quote:

A little later, we were in the woods above the field when we encountered a bear grazing along a path. It looked up at us and licked its mouth, a long strand of saliva dripping nearly to the ground. We were 20 feet away — in Homstol’s opinion, too close for comfort — so she whispered to turn and walk slowly toward the field. This we did, and when I looked back, the bear was 15 feet behind us, frozen in place. Once again, we walked toward the field, and when I turned again, the bear had closed the gap — it was 10 feet off, still making eye contact, still caught in that strange stop-motion pose. Like an image raised in a microscope, the bear kept getting closer and closer, though we never once saw it move. When I asked Homstol what that behavior meant, she said, walking swiftly toward her truck, “I have no idea, and I don’t want to stick around to find out.”

I think I have some idea.

ANOTHER UPDATE: So this guy was attacked by a bear while deer hunting. But why didn’t he — or one of the other hunters — you know, shoot it? The story doesn’t say.

FRED THOMPSON in Paradise.

UPDATE: The Tennessean reports that, contrary to the “lazy” charge, Thompson is campaigning hard.

KILLING SNAKES.

LIBERTARIANS: Redirecting politics, according to this piece in the Washington Post. I will say that although poll-spamming and email-spamming gave Ron Paul an astroturf image with a lot of people (including me) early on, it seems clear that there’s plenty of grassroots enthusiasm for him in my neck of the woods.

UPDATE: Ron Paul won’t do Glenn Beck’s show? That’s kind of weird.

THOUGHTS ON JOHN HOWARD’S DEFEAT, from Tim Montgomerie.

IS THE DOLLAR TOO LOW? Or is the Euro too high?

Related thoughts here.

HMM: “Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has lost his lead eight days before a referendum on ending his term limit, an independent pollster said on Saturday, in a swing in voter sentiment against the Cuba ally.” Not sure I trust the poll. But then, I’m not sure I’ll trust the vote-counting in eight days, either.

UPDATE: Thoughts from Rand Simberg.

HERE’S MORE on the Kasparov arrest.

SORRY, Mary Katharine!