What Caught My Eye Today

Global Warming - The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that global warming is "unequivocal" and will bring "irreversible changes" without immediate action. The IPCC said that even if carbon emissions could be stopped cold, the greenhouses gases already in the atmosphere would warm the planet by more than 3.5 degrees, imperiling millions of people and putting 30% of all plant and animal species at risk of extinction. If the emissions continue to rise beyond 2015, much of the developing world wold be ravaged by hunger and disease, and up to 70% of all species could go extinct. While I am firmly in the camp with those that believe humankind has contributed to global warming, I question whether or not the planet is going through a larger climatic cycle. There is ample evidence that climate change has led to widespread extinctions in the past. I'm not suggesting that we should do nothing to curb our carbon emissions--no need to bring on Armageddon any sooner than necessary--but I'm not sure such dire predictions do much to solve the problem. Inciting global panic about anything is rarely productive.

Healthcare - The Concierge Medicine clinic in Los Angeles offers what it considers the ultimate in medical care, 'The Presidential Physical.' The two day examination includes a battery of tests based on the regimen that White House physicians administer to the President annually. The lure of 'concierge medicine'--the concept behind dozens of practices that have sprung up in the past few years--is that such programs make the patient feel like the most important person in the world. The presidential program goes further, making each patient feel like the leader of the free world. The price of a Presidential Physical starts at $1,400 and more than 600 people have had one. Does it come as much of a surprise that this trend started in Los Angeles? I'm not passing judgment one way or the other, but we are talking about the epicenter of cosmetic medicine. I'm not sure you'd find a practice like this popping up in Nebraska.

Alternative Lifestyles - According to a study conducted by the UCLA Law School, the gay population is booming in Alabama and Utah. Alabama treats homosexual conduct as a crime while Utah is home to a large and conservative Mormon community. In the past 17 years. Utah's gay population has shot form 38th in the nation to 14th and the South's gay tally has outpaced any other region. Growing acceptance of homosexuality is a big factor, according to the study, but so is money. Gay and lesbian travel accounts for $55 billion each year and the bigger the community, the more gay tourists will flock. See I think this is great. Here are two examples of rather conservative regions that conveniently look the other way when money is involved. Rather than being viewed as sanctimonious hypocrites by folks like me, why don't you folks just allow people to be who they want to be? Being the good Christian boy that I am, I still remember a little thing called the Golden Rule--treat others as you would have them treat you.

Education - A primary school in a suburb of Nottingham has jumped from the bottom 25% of British schools to the top 25% by transforming itself into Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books. For the past 3 years, students have been allowed to choose a theme for their classes, and this year they chose Harry Potter. They dress as witches and wizards, call out spells when doing math problems, and compete as members of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Hey, as long as the children are learning, who are we to criticize the method. Although, I'd like to know how Lord Voldemort fits into all this?

Death - Disneyland is facing an epidemic of people scattering family members' ashes on their favorite rides. The latest incident occurred when a woman was caught sprinkling a powdery substance into the water at the Pirates of the Caribbean. Last month, several piles of ashes were found along the tracks at the Haunted Mansion ride. Disney officials will not confirm the finding of any human remains, but insiders say that ash-scattering is now so common that custodians have been issued special vacuums to remove suspicious piles. So like when I suggested this was how I wanted to go when my time was up, I had no idea that this idea was so popular. You know, if Disney wanted to make a few extra bucks (and you know they do) they could come up with a special 'package' to ensure a tasteful send off for your loved ones. After all, who wouldn't want to spend eternity in the 'Happiest Place on Earth?'