Sea plane Crash, Miami Beach - A sea plane crashed close to the beach at Miami Beach. All twenty aboard are dead. Witnesses included surfers who thought the plane would crash on them. Apparently the plane was on fire before it crashed. Some witnesses at the scene (News guy's words - How could someone be a witness and not at the scene?) Anyway, some of the witnesses say they saw a wing come off prior to impact. Ending up in 35 feet of water, recovering the black box should be a cinch.
President Bush - A new poll raises Bush's approval rating from 39% in early November to 47%.
The fickleness of America and it's instant gratification mentality. A beleaguered and beat up Bush in November comes out with the tough guy approach again, attacks his attackers, and now a segment of the US feel this is enough to justify their approval.
On the other side, another poll shows the President's approval rating still a paltry 39%.For those of us who live and die from polls, this apparent dispute in numbers has to create a schizophrenic feeling if in the throes of a low bio-rhythm.
For the rest of us, we notice them, nod, and move on to the next piece of useless information.
DNA Kits available at the grocery store - A grocery store chain in the mid west(?) is now offering a health service based on our genetic code. A quick swab in the mouth and the kit is rushed to a DNA lab in Connecticut. Based on 19 different genetic markers, the results will tell of genetic pre-disposition to any of the big killers. You then take the results to the consultants in the store and they will customize your shopping trip to fit in with the healthy lifestyle you should be living. At $99 a pop, it seems an expensive way to reinforce Mom's advice that chips and soda are not good for us.
Local News > Augusta, Maine - A group who wants a 20 cents/gallon tax on water pumped out of Maine and sold faced their first failure. They had submitted a petition with 71,000 signatures to force the issue onto the next ballot. Over 7,000 signatures were found to be unacceptable. That meant they failed to meet the minimum required number to put the issue on the ballot in the next election. A spokesperson for Poland Spring Bottlers said they were pleased with the result. Well Duh.
A personal Notation - Follow Up > "The Big Dig" - The resurrection of my office has reached a logical stopping point. Yet, I do not want to stop. I want to do more. Improve more. Gild the lily so to speak. But I will cease and desist. I have been given my orders. There are other fires that need to be attended to. My darling wife was emphatic and specific. After 25 years of marriage, I know when to jump, how quickly, and finally I have a clue as to how high. No height is high enough.
