The First Three Months of 2002 were the Warmest in 1,000 Years
Charles Clover writes in the London Telegraph, "The first three months of this year were the warmest globally since records began in 1860 and probably for 1,000 years, scientists said yesterday. Dr Geoff Jenkins, director of the Meteorological Office's Hadley Center, said the record on land and sea was consistent with computer predictions of the effects of man-made global warming. The three months were about 0.71C warmer than the average for 1961 to 1990, itself the warmest period for 1,000 years according to ice-core analysis, he added. The record warm period was the more remarkable because there was no sign of the cyclical El Nino in the tropics, which has attended the succession of record warmest years in the past decade."

Moe and Jen

Credit to David Horsey

J.Lo wears short shorts, Britney chokes under the pressure, Sandra Bullock makes a killing .... Say what? The fashion Police tells us who is fine and who should be fined.

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"The Osbournes" Set MTV Cable Record
"Heavy metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne, wife Sharon and kids Jack and Kelly continue to break records for MTV, as Tuesday's episode of the reality smash pulled in 7.8 million viewers--the most-watched series ever on the cable network."

That to me is amazing, maybe I'm out of touch but I've never watched the show and do not care to. Most TV watching to me is chewing gum for the mind. Although I enjoy the Discovery and History channels my time in front of the TV is usually an exercise in channel hopping. Besides, This week is Turn off your TV week, an event that is being officially observed by yours truly.

DNC Launches "Every Vote Counts" Voter Registration Drive
Newsday reports, "Democrats Wednesday kicked off a national voter registration drive in Manhattan and urged voters not to forget the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. 'This country belongs to you, but you have to claim it,' Clinton told the cheering crowd gathered outside of New York University for the noontime rally. 'We would win big for our side if all of you voted.' The Democratic kickoff of 'Every Vote Counts' is part of a national effort to court people of color, particularly African Americans and Latinos, who could be key to Democrats taking control of the House and the Senate this fall. Across the country, Democrats also launched voter registration drives at immigration and naturalization ceremonies and historically black colleges...

Gossip?
"Gossip is the human equivalent of 'social grooming' among primates, which has been shown to stimulate production of endorphins, relieving stress and boosting the immune system. Two-thirds of all human conversation is gossip, because this 'vocal grooming' is essential to our social, psychological and physical well-being. Mobiles facilitate gossip. Mobiles have increased and enhanced this vital therapeutic activity, by allowing us to gossip 'anytime, anyplace, anywhere' and to text as well as talk. Mobile gossip is an effective and important new stress-buster."

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Hey ya'll, the artists formerly known as ... uh, I mean ...Prince is Back

Rays of Inspiration [ No. 3 of a series]

Learn from past experiences
We often get into ruts, caught up in habits and patterns that are not useful. We keep doing the same things, fighting the same alligators, struggling with the same weaknesses, repeating the same mistakes. I have been down that route. We don't stop to ask ourselves: what can I learn from last year that will keep me from essentially repeating errors of the past.

The value of the past is not limited to what we do in it but also in what we learn and have become as a result. I suppose that is why self-evaluation is always an important thing. "What I like about experiences" wrote C.S. Lewis "is that it is such an honest thing ... you may deceive yourself, but expreience is not trying to deceive you".

Google adds another service Live Researchers answer your questions on any topic for a fee.

Google, call me if you need to add another researcher to the team. I'm available... part time of course.


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Stating The Obvious
Govt. Report Finds No Evidence That Abstinence-Only Counseling Prevents Teen Sex, Pregnancy, Disease
"The abstinence-only initiative, created in the 1996 welfare overhaul, has caused heated debate because it bars any discussion of condoms or birth control other than to explain their limitations ...There still is no evidence whether programs that push sexual abstinence prevent teen sex, pregnancy or disease, the government reported, as Congress debates whether to renew an abstinence-only initiative."

The abstinence-only idea has been preached for generations, obviously is has never worked ... Put the money into programs that teach pregnancy prevention, safe sex etc. It's foolish to think that the majority of people are going to stop doing something that Mother Nature intended for us to do. Let's deal with reality.

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Rehash
Interestingly, people have sex for all sorts of reasons, such as love and respect, caring, lust, attraction, curiosity, too much alcohol and the old tried and true it-just-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time. That is reality. Sometimes 'the sexual act' is 'just a physical one'. I suppose that humans are wired accordingly, so the truth of the matter becomes which direction will you choose (or have you chosen). Reality has also proven that most people prefer to sample all of the above.

New items on the list of foods that may cause cancer: French Fries and Bread ...Oy!

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New York has a new Protector

Vast Oil Stores Put Caspian Sea on the Political Map



In this original report, Paul Roberts (ABC News) writes a thought provoking article on how the amount of crude in this area is shifting the global oil dynamics.