What Caught My Eye Today

Fear - Remember the old saying, "you have nothing to fear, but fear itself."? In this day and age, there is plenty to scare the pants off anyone...several times over. But here is any interesting question--are we really fearing the right stuff? Let's find out shall we? What should you really be afraid of (answers are posted at the end of this post)?

• Murder or suicide?
• Children abducted by strangers or Children who drown in pools?
• Burglary or identity theft?
• Shark attack or dog bite?
• Killed by terrorist attack or seasonal flu?
• Death by allergic reaction to peanut or accidental poisoning?
• Women's death from breast cancer or cardiovascular disease?
• Death by airline accident or car crash?
• Audit by the IRS or death?

Nuclear Proliferation - Uncharacteristically, we have some good news here. The 189 member nations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty adopted a detailed plan of small steps down a long road toward nuclear disarmament, including a sharply debated proposal to move toward banning doomsday arms from the Middle East. Under its action plan, the five recognized nuclear-weapon states — the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China — commit to speed up arms reductions, take other steps to diminish the importance of atomic weapons, and report back on progress by 2014. The final document also calls for convening a conference in 2012 "on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction." Fascinating idea. I wonder, did anyone mention this initiative to the Iranian government? This Arab idea of a WMD-free zone is designed to pressure Israel to give up its undeclared nuclear arsenal. Oh yeah, I'm sure the Israelis are totally up for that. Establishment of a verifiable Mideast nuclear weapons-free zone should help allay international concerns about whether Iran's ambitious nuclear program is aimed at building bombs, something Tehran denies. The Iranians have long expressed support for a nuke-free Mideast. They sure have a funny way of showing it, don't they. Still, in the interest of a nuclear free planet, however many lifetimes from now it might take to realize that day, I say bravo to the progress made here.

Potpourri - It's been awhile since we've had one. This time our theme is, "how exactly does this qualify as news?"

• Stress - A recent report found that 51 New York City bus drivers took off an average of more than two paid months in the past year to recover from the emotional trauma of being spat on by passengers.
  I'm not saying that the actions are justified, but this sounds a lot more like an occupational hazard rather than a reason to claim emotional trauma.
• Role Models - Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's 19 year old daughter, charges $15,000 to $30,000 per appearance to tell teens why they should practice abstinence...so they don't become unwed mothers...like her.
  Funny and tragic at the same time, don't you think?
• Current Events - A recently published study found that Britons were spending slightly more time reading news online than looking at pornography.
  I get the feeling that this is intended to suggest that civilization has not completely deteriorated, but here's my question. Is the gap between watch news rather than porn increasing or decreasing? Funny how the study seems to omit that little nugget.

Fear - So are you fretting over the right stuff?

• Murder or suicide?
  In 2008, there were 14,180 murders in the U.S. compared with 33,289 suicides.
• Children abducted by strangers or Children who drown in pools?
  In 1999, 115 children were abducted compare with 288 who died by drowning in 2006.
• Burglary or identity theft?
  There were 2.2 million burglaries reported in 2007 compared with 8.3 million incidents of identity theft reported in 2005.
• Shark attack or dog bite?
  In 2009, there were 28 attacks by Jaws versus 4.5 million by Cujo.
• Killed by terrorist attack or seasonal flu?
  There were 33 terrorist attacks on Americans in 2008 versus more than 36,000 deaths due to the common flu.
• Death by allergic reaction to peanut or accidental poisoning?
  Less than 100 died from peanut allergies compared to 27,531 who died "accidentally" from poisoning in 2006.
• Women's death from breast cancer or cardiovascular disease?
  There were 40,170 women who succumbed to breast cancer in 2009 versus 432,709 who died from cardiovascular disease.
• Death by airline accident or car crash?
  There were 321 fatalities related to airline travel in 2005 compared with 34,017 auto fatalities in 2008.
• Audit by the IRS or death?
  1.4 million Americans were audited in 2009; 2.4 million died. No correlation I'm sure.

What Caught My Eye Today

Fred's Note: Upon reflection, yesterday's topics were a bit on the heavy side. By sheer coincidence, today's postings (with the possible exception of the first one) are much more on the lighter side.

Zimbabwe - Here's a riddle for you...What do you get the delusional leader of a nation who apparently has everything? If you happen to be the "whack job" leader of another country I guess you do something like this. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is assembling a "Noah's Ark" of Zimbabwean wildlife, as a gift to his fellow dictator and ally, North Korea's Kim Jong Il. Sure, why not? Park officials have captured pairs of baby elephants, rhinos, giraffes, warthogs and other species, which are to be shipped to Pyongyang. Mugabe gave North Korea two rhinos in the 1980s; they died after just a few months. It seems these endangered species don't have enough going against them. Forget that their very existence is at risk; let's ship them off to North Korea for the amusement of the Beloved Leader. Who knows, maybe some of them might actually survive more than a few months this time.

National Debt - If you are anything like me, you have spent countless nights pondering what to do with all that spare cash you have lying around. Fear not, my friends. I have the perfect solution. If you would like to help the U.S. pay its public debt, the Treasury would be glad to take your money. They've set up a convenient online form to make it easy (click here). "Welcome to the United States Treasury's site for making donations to help reduce the public debt," the form says. "If you would like to make a donation, please fill in the required fields and click the Submit Data button when completed. Your contribution will be deposited to the account "Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt." Your contribution is accepted under the provisions of 31 U.S.C. 3113 which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to accept conditional gifts to the United States for the purpose of reducing the public debt. These donations are voluntary, and no goods, services, or other considerations are provided to the donors." I am so there.

Teenagers - As if it wasn't hard enough to survive puberty. Apparently, it makes you stupid, too. A recent study suggests that puberty may set off changes in the brain that make it the hardest time in life to learn new things. Researchers have found that during puberty unusual changes take place in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in memory and learning. There is a sudden growth of receptors for a chemical that calms them down but also interferes with learning. Whew. That's a relief. All this time I was thinking that it was all that binge drinking and preoccupation with hooking with the opposite sex that was to blame. Who would have thought that being dumb was just part of growing up. Woo hoo!

Junk Food - New research suggests junk food is literally addictive, producing changes in brain chemistry similar to those cocaine causes. Far be it from me to mock science, but...Duh. Of course its addictive. Why else would so many of use inhale so much of this crap on a daily basis? Researchers measured the brain activity of rates given unfettered access to fatty, high-calorie food. The rats quickly became obese and ate compulsively and continuously, even ignoring electric shocks applied to their feet in the presence of food. The same shocks applied to the control group deterred those rates from eating. Again, duh. The junk food probably tasted better, thereby warranting the trivial cost of shock therapy. As the rats consumed the junk food, the pleasure centers of their brains lit up just as if they were taking drugs. When the junk food was removed in favor of healthier food, the rats were so upset that they basically starved themselves. Seriously, can you blame them? Once you have tasted the sweet ambrosia that is "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun" its hard--I daresay, impossible--to expect any real satisfaction from a celery stick.

What Caught My Eye Today

South Korea -If you thought that the alleged torpedoing of a South Korea vessel by a North Korean sub (alleged, my butt) was a big deal, well my friends, you would be mistaken. Here is some truly epic news from our friends on the Korean peninsula. South Korea has imposed a gaming curfew to try to crack down on what authorities call an epidemic of video game addiction among the young. Seriously, I am not making this up. The Culture Ministry announced that anyone under the age of 18 would be blocked from accessing popular online computer games after midnight. Other games must add features that will drastically slow the speed of Internet access once the player has been logged on for a certain number of hours. The measures come in response to a rash of incidents that shocked the nation in recent months including a couple that was charged with letting their infant starve to death while they raised a "virtual child" on the Internet. Where to begin? Okay...Culture Ministry? What up with that? Now the government is qualified to tell us what is culturally acceptable. I thought that's what radio talk show hosts were for. As for time spent on the Internet, where I come from how someone chooses to waste his or her time is a personal choice or, in the case of a minor, left to the discretion of the parent or guardian. Honestly, has the notion of personal accountability completely vanished from our so-called "advanced civilized" society?

Somalia - The Islamist militant group that controls much of Somalia has ordered radio stations to stop airing music. Hizbul Islam, which has already banned bras, musical ring tones, and movies, declared that music is "un-Islamic." Is it now? And just where in the Koran is that little nugget buried? Anyone? Somali radio stations tend to play a mix of American, European, and African rock and rap. Then again, these guys might be onto something. Some of the stuff coming out of my boom box causes my ears to shudder a bit every now and again. Now if Hizbul Islam were really serious about stopping the music, they would pay more attention to what we're doing in the United States. We're going after music at the source. Think about it. Music and arts programs are being suspended or completely shut down in schools all over the country. Banning music on the radio--what a bunch of amateurs.

Uganda - After a global outcry, Ugandan lawmakers have recommended dropping a bill that would have punished homosexual behavior with death. A commission created by Ugandan President Yowere Museveni ruled that just about every clause in the bill was unconstitutional. You don't say. Well then, they better get on the ball and get cracking on a new constitution that isn't constrained by morals or respect for basic human rights. The measure would have required Ugandans to report anybody they suspected of being gay and was backed by Ugandan evangelical churches, some of which have been supported and partially financed by U.S. churches. I'm all for people having the freedom to believe what they want. Heck, I believe in all sorts of wacky stuff. What I don't get is this strong aversion to same sex relations that seems to preoccupy some folks who have what I guess you would call "deeply religious convictions." What are you people afraid of? Is there some threat that homosexuality poses to your way of life. Clearly, if anyone has reason to be fearful, it is the gay community which if the Ugandan evangelicals had their way, would be killed out in short order. News flash, people. I'm pretty sure these folks are as interested in your lifestyle as you are of theirs. They won't piss in your pool if you don't piss in theirs. And there are a lot of pools out there (70% of the planet is water, you know).

India - And now for something completely out of left field, we bring you the latest challenge to confound our friends on the sub-continent. India is bringing an executioner out of retirement to hang the only Mumbai attacker who was captured alive. The attacker was sentenced to death by hanging for participating in the 2008 attack that killed at least 173 people at hotels, hospitals, and other locations in India's largest city. But because India does not have a single working hangman, officials were not sure how or when the sentence would be carried out. I can certainly see how that could pose a dilemma. How could you possibly carry out a death sentence without a hangman's noose? Few people want to learn the profession, which demands skill but pays less than $5 per hanging. Luckily, a retired hangman offered to do the deed. Maybe those retired executioners should think about unionizing. Collectively bargaining could certainly lead to higher wages and maybe even include a decent dental plan.