At Long Last Its Purpose Is Known

Finally, at long last, we know the answer to one of life's greatest mysteries. Yes, they finally figured out the purpose of the appendix. That superfluous little intestinal cul-de-sac was not there to help us digest rancid meat, as I was told years ago. It's sort of a bacterial backup system. When infection or disease would wipe out the good bacteria in our intestines, the appendix would remain a safe bacterial haven ready to repopulate the intestines when necessary. When the human population was much smaller and spread out, it could take too long to get your bacteria back up to speed without the appendix. Now that people are everywhere, so are the needed bacteria, making the appendix unnecessary. Wild. Maybe they'll figure out the tonsils next.

The Kindness of Sesame Street

Regardless of my opinion regarding the war in Iraq, I can't help but be awed by the kindness and class of the Sesame Workshop (the nonprofit organization that produces Sesame Street). In a follow up of a DVD last year aimed at helping military families discuss the strain of deployments, they are creating a DVD covering the issues that face families of injured soldiers returning from the war in gentle terms kids can understand. In one instance an injured puppet in a wheelchair tells his puppet daughter that even though his body has changed, his love for her has not. The DVD aims to give these families the tools and vocabulary that can help them get through the tough times without giving the kids too many details too scare them. In a world that seems at time totally mad it's reassuring to know there are people governed by what is kind and right.

Hate Mail For The Blind

Why would the National Federation of the Blind be getting hate mail from environmentalists? One of them even said they hoped the blind would be the first to drown after the seas rise from global warming. You have to be a special brand of mean spirited to send hate mail to the blind. This seems nutty but it's true. The blind have a beef with hybrid cars. They're down with the whole green movement; they would just like to be able to hear a car coming at them. It turns out that at lower speeds even the super sensitive hearing of the blind can't hear them drive by. For people used to relying on their sense of hearing to protect them, the prospect of silent multi-ton vehicles gliding down the road would be pretty freaky. I wonder if this problem could be solved by attaching deer whistlers to the front of hybrids.

Evil Blackwater

At what point will Blackwater just admit to being evil? Last month's bloodbath and other civilian killings aside, last Christmas Eve one of Blackwater's employees got drunk and shot to death a body guard who was protecting the Iraqi Vice President. Blackwater removed the shooter from Iraq within 36 hours with the approval of the State Department. Other than being fired, no other action was taken against the inebriated killer. To keep things quiet and out of the press, the State Department recommended Blackwater pay the victim's family $250,000 but Blackwater felt that sum was "too large" so they offered to pay $15,000. The State Department agreed. The age of the mercenary has returned.

McCain Loses His Spine

Well, I used to like McCain. But, alas, it turns out that instead of the outspoken politician not afraid to speak his mind that he used to be, has turned into the mouth piece of religious right. He stated today that our Constitution makes us a Christian nation. The only part of the Constitution that mentions religion is to exclude it from the government. McCain knows that, but because a poll indicated that a slim majority of Americans feel this is a Christian nation, he folded. Gone is the brave politician who stood for what he believed in. What's left is an empty mouth piece.