What Caught My Eye Today

Macedonia - Macedonia will not be able to join NATO until it resolves a dispute with Greece over its name. I just report the news, I don't make it up. Macedonia split from Yugoslavia in 1991, the only state to do so without bloodshed. That in and of itself should be reason enough for these guys to call themselves whatever they want. More than 120 countries, including the United States, have recognized it as Republic of Macedonia. But Greece has said that using that name implies a claim to the northern Greek province of Macedonia and says it will veto Macedonia's membership in NATO under that name. Okay, technically they're not calling themselves 'Macedonia,' but rather 'Republic of Macedonia.' So take that, Greece. Secondly, there are several instances of multiple places sharing the same name and there hasn't been much confusion so far. I don't remember the last time somebody confused Paris, Texas with the capital of France. Do you? Still, if Greece isn't willing to budge, Macedonia could always do what Lithuania is doing and host a contest to rename itself.

Crime - Here are a couple of statistics that we can all step back and look upon with pride. For the first time in U.S. history, more than 1 in 100 American adults--1.6 million people--are incarcerated. Both in absolute terms and on a per-capita pas, the U.S. imprisons more people than any other nation. Yes, but in fairness to the good old U.S. of A., how would we stack up against those other nations that choose to just 'get rid of' their criminal populations rather than imprison them?

Next up on our daily double... While more than 12,000 Americans are shot to death each year, far more are wounded by guns. Nerly 53,000 people were treated for gunshot wounds in 2006. I know about the saying that goes, "guns don't kill people, people do,' and that's all good. But I thinking maybe, just maybe, if people didn't have the guns in the first place, there would be a lot less killing. Yeah, I know. What sort of lunatic logic is that?

Winter - Sweden is experiencing its warmest winger on record. In December, January and February, the average temperature in Stochholm was 36 degrees--the highest since record keeping began in 1756. The rest of northern Europe has also been unseasonably warm. Finland has had only 20 days of snow, compared with the usual 70 and Estonia had to cancel its annual cross-country ski marathon for lack of snow. Winter did actually arrive. It's just that it hit the Midwestern United States first, liked what it saw and decided not to leave.

Moses - An Israeli researcher concluded that Moses was probably on hallucinogenic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments. According to the researcher, mind-altering substances played an integral role in the religious rites of Israelites in biblical times. We all know that I am somewhat of a skeptic on pretty much everything, but this is a bit much even for me. Honestly, where is the harm in believing that there was a little divine intervention a couple of thousand years ago. Is it asking too much to allow for a little faith without ruining it what a bunch of conjecture that cannot possibly be proven or disproved?

Depression - Just in case the news of the day isn't depressing enough, I offer up this final gem... Antidepressants are the most common prescribed medications in the United States, with more than 118 million prescriptions written each year. Gimme a second while I make a note to call my stockbroker to load up on the pharmaceutical sector. According to a British survey, antidepressants are no more effective in relieving most users' depression than a placebo. The damn Brits. What a bunch of killjoys. The study found that drug companies had been selective in reporting the results of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) studies, and that overall, the data showed that these medications produced significant mood improvements in only the most depressed patients. Well, heck, maybe after reading this study, people will become depressed enough for these drugs to actually work.

Okay, enough of all this. I need a drink.