What Caught My Eye Today

Same Sex Marriage - I'll be honest; I didn't see this coming. Iowa's Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in a unanimous and emphatic decision that makes Iowa the third state to allow same-sex couples to wed. Iowa joins only Massachusetts and Connecticut in permitting same-sex marriage. For six months last year, California's high court allowed gay marriage before voters banned it in November. In its ruling, the Supreme Court upheld an August 2007 decision by a judge who found that a state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman violates the constitutional rights of equal protection. Turns out that this isn't the first time, Iowa has been at the forefront of social issues. It was among the first states to legalize interracial marriage and to allow married women to own property. It was also the first state to admit a woman to the bar to practice law and was a leader in school desegregation. Who knew? Still, I gotta wonder just how big the gay community in Iowa really is. I know--size doesn't matter (pardon the pun)--but I don't recall Iowa being a hotbed of homosexual activity. Then again, I didn't know Iowa had such a progressively minded Supreme Court either.

Milk - Remember the uproar in China over the discovery of melamine in milk? I'll do you one better--rocket fuel. The study by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what's considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient. Before I go on, maybe someone can answer me this--how could any amount of rocket fuel be considered a safe dose? No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of perchlorate can affect thyroid function. The thyroid helps set the body's metabolism. Thyroid problems can impact fetal and infant brain development. The largest amounts of the chemical were in formulas derived from cow's milk, the study said. I've sometimes wondered why terrorist groups have never attempted to attack our food supply. Maybe they figure we'll do a better job of contaminating ourselves then they could ever hope to do themselves. With the recent salmonella outbreaks, there may be something to that line of thinking.

Japan - For the first time, the government of Japan has certified a citizen as a survivor of both atomic bombs dropped on the country at the end of World War II. Depending on your perspective this is either the luckiest or unluckiest son of gun in the history of humankind. The 93-year old man had previously been recognized as a victim of the bombing of his hometown of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, qualifying him for medical treatment and a monthly stipend. Japan now confirms that he had been in Hiroshima 3 days earlier on a business trip, when the first bomb hit. He spent one night in Hiroshima with serious burns on his upper body, then made his way home just in time for the second strike. See what I mean? What are the odds that anyone could survive an atomic bomb, let alone two? And what are the odds of someone surviving nuclear bomb in one location and find his way home just in time for a second one. Simply amazing.

Aging - A new study of brain function says by age 27, your brain begins a slow decline toward the fog of dementia. Cognitive tests on 2,000 healthy people between the ages of 18 and 60 found that the age for peak mental performance is 22. By age 27, there is was a marked decline in brain speed. Memory skills can keep pace for a longer time, remaining strong until around age 37. 37, huh? So I'm basically screwed on both fronts. Ain't that just grand? Fortunately, our vocabulary and general storehouse of knowledge grows until at least age 60. Nice. Our capacity for learning never stops, but our ability to remember what we learned craps out 20 years earlier. And another thing...give me a moment...it'll come to me...oh, never mind. It probably wasn't that important anyway.