Some things just seem fated:

(NEWSER) – A car accident turned out to be very lucky in Sweden yesterday: Police officers accidentally skidded off a snowy road into a ditch, only to discover a missing 2-year-old girl, the Local reports. They heard the barefoot, lightly-dressed toddler crying; she had wandered off while playing with her sister three hours before and was almost two miles away from her house. The officers made their way through waist-deep snow to get the child, who was “frozen and sad, but … didn’t need any medical attention,” a police spokesperson says.

Is there really a grown woman in this world who would be turned on by getting a human-sized Vermont Teddy Bear for Valentine’s Day? “It’ll pay off for you,” the voiceover croons while a scantily-clad babe caresses her bear. Could this possibly work? Or am I just not cynical enough?

And I think most parents will.

I am scared to death of giant waves. These guys are brave — and/or crazy!

What’s your favorite fast food? C’mon, you can tell me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwNlp2z031M

Watch the audience. Now that everyone has camera phones, they’re so caught up in documenting this event that they’re not actually experiencing it. Isn’t that strange? I remember when my kids were little, if there was a school event, parents were running up and down the aisle, taking pictures or videos. I’d look at them and think, “Geeze, I just want to pay attention and remember how cute my kid is right now.” (As a result, I have lots of memories — and few event pictures. The pictures of my kids are from when we were just hanging out.)

Of course, people do get pleasure going back and looking at pictures later (to experience what they missed, maybe). And of course, whatever floats your boat. But I think so many people are obsessed with getting that Kodak moment that they never really inhabit the experience.

And as to this affectionate dance with the Obamas: Well, there were TV cameras in the room. It’s not as if you wouldn’t be able to see it later. Why not just watch?

But this is all theoretical coming from me, because like Thoreau, I’m skeptical of any enterprise that requires new clothes. The thought of going to an inaugural ball is excruciating. I hate formal wear, and I don’t like crowds. I had my share of events as a reporter. Been there, done that, let me stay home.

To Frank Zamboni!

I’ve never seen anything like this.

I don’t know why this is interesting, but it is. Your take?

Many people are influenced against the possibility of psychic phenomena by some of the real charlatans that exist in the “skeptic” community, James Randi prominent among them. I mean, I’m certainly down with the idea that parapsychologists subject their findings to scientific rigor, but having standards that are so much higher than those required for the rest of the scientific community isn’t really… scientific.