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In the early days of life without nicotine I am focusing on the positives associated with quitting. The greatest thought is an incident that firmly planted the quit smoking seed into my mind. Even before my diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease surfaced, the wheels were put into motion by a most unlikely source. It came out of the blue from my 9-year-old grandson. As part of the Thanksgiving observance last year at his school, he noted what the holiday means to him. What he posted on the wall in his third grade classroom was priceless. He wrote, “I am...

WASHINGTON (AP) - During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the perpetuation of war crimes." Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran who turned against the war, made the observations in answers to a 1972 candidate questionnaire from a Massachusetts peace group. After Kerry caused a firestorm this week with what he termed a botched campaign joke that Republicans said insulted current soldiers, The Associated Press was alerted to the historical comments by a former law...

For some, the Internet it has become an addiction, adversely affecting their lives and their family's lives. While not yet defined as a true addiction, many people are suffering the consequences of obsession with the online world, warns Dr. Diane M. Wieland, who treats patients with computer addiction in her practice in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. For some people, the Internet may promote addictive behaviors and pseudo-intimate interpersonal relationships, reports Wieland in the journal, Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. "Such cyberspace contacts may result in cyber disorders such as virtual relationships that evolve into online marital infidelity (cybersex) or online sexually compulsive behaviors,"...

/begin my abridged translation  Kim Jong-il's 'Platform Shoes' Caught in Pictures 4-5 inches tall, foreign photographers spotted them [ 2005-05-24 11:48 ] A photo from Oct. 2002 issue of 'Korea Today', taken during the 2001 summit with Russian President Putin.    Kim Jong-il is said to be 165cm(approx. 5' 5") tall. However, he is believed to be smaller. It is well-known that he wears platform shoes to compensate his short stature. His platform shoes are kept as top secrets among N. Korean media photographers.  We analyzed photos taken by foreign media during Kim's trips to China and Russia in 2001 and 2002....

WASHINGTON - Ronald Reagan (news - web sites), in his 1988 State of the Union address to Congress, hefted a 1,000-page, 14-pound spending bill and warned lawmakers against sending him more "behemoths" like this. "And if you do, I will not sign it." Last Saturday, Congress passed a spending bill of more than 3,000 pages — what Sen. Robert Byrd (news, bio, voting record), D-W.Va., called a "monstrosity" — to fund most federal programs in 2005. President Bush (news - web sites) will sign it into law next month, but only after Congress returns to pass a separate bill to...

There are enough packs of cigarettes in the freezer to get AshfieldK and I through Friday, then we are quitting cold turkey. Since I do most of my smoking while sitting in front of the computer, FReeping or playing solitaire, the computer is going to be off from this Friday night until the morning of September 3, 2004. This means that I'll need a volunteer to post the Family Table thread on 8-27, moms--I'll let you work that out, just let me know who gets the ping list. After this coming Friday's back-to-school thread, Grellis will be silent for two...

Humans' 10,000-year warming habit By Richard Black BBC science correspondent, in San Francisco Human influence on climate is hotly debated Humans have been warming the Earth's climate for the last 10,000 years, US scientist William Ruddiman claims. The University of Virginia professor says agriculture has put greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, pushing up temperatures by about one Celsius. This, he claims, has broadly balanced the cooling that should have come from a natural reduction in the Sun's heat reaching Earth over the same period. The professor has presented his ideas to the American Geophysical Union. The AGU is holding its...