It is kind of ironic that a Representative to Congress from the state of New York named Anthony Weiner got called on the carpet for exposing his privates on Twitter to a 26-year old college student who lives in Texas. After denying anything to do with the Twitter posting--blaming it on hackers and even hiring a lawyer to find out who the hackers were--the good Representative Weiner finally admitted that he was guilty of over-exposure. With a tear filled apology to his wife he admitted that he "followed' several young women through his Twitter account and promised that it would not get out of hand again. Even more ironically is the fact that today his wife announced that she was expecting. Political pundits state that Weiner will be able to weather this scandal and keep his position. It just goes to prove the old adage that my pastoral counseling professor used to tell his two teenage sons: "Think with your big head, not your little one." I guess, once an Oscar Mayer, always an Oscar Mayer!
Speaking of weeners . . . in San Francisco, according to the Los Angeles Times, has placed a referendum on November's ballot to outlaw circumcision. Circumcision is the surgical removal of a boy's foreskin at birth--the oldest practice of the world's oldest religion (Judaism), plus proven to reduce the rate of urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases--including AIDS--again, according to the Los Angeles Times. The argument is that it is "male genital mutilation" and should be considered a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Proponents state that since female circumcision is already a crime it should be the same for males. The arguments against the ban is that it is an unacceptable intrusion "on parents' ability to decide what best for children"; and, that for many it is considered a religious practice and a religious right protected by the Constitution. The newspaper did not interview those most affected by this debate--infant males. The problem is that they aren't old enough to vote yet, let alone speak for themselves. This one might make it all the way to the Supreme Court--three females and six males--how is it going to swing if it comes to a vote?
Sticking with the current "topic" the picture above should be self-explanatory, but the issue is whether or not Sarah Palin is going to run for the presidency in the next election. The Republican intelligentsia has already decided that she is unelectable, but she has more passionate support than any other candidate in the field from the GOPs. But no one ever claimed that Palin listens to current point of view especially as she is on her "magical mystery 'One Nation' bus tour." Word is that she is testing the waters while protecting her brand. Either way, she's gotcha! Why else does she keep winking--a sty in the eye or does she know something we don't as she merrily skips to the bank. Makes you wonder who is the weener here! Us or her?
Over in the health news beat The New York Times reports that a simple stopwatch can help predict the health of one's heart. All it takes is about eight minutes. According to a study done on 66,000 people between the age of 20 and 90 over a period of 36 years, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School have concluded that fitness in middle age is as strong of a predictor of heart health as commonly known risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The lead researcher, Jarrett D. Berry, states that the best measure of fitness is "the speed at which you can run"--in particular how fast you can run a mile. Men in their 50s (which would include me) who can run a mile in eight minutes--women in nine minutes--have a lifetime heart disease risk of only ten percent. The slower a person runs the mile the greater the risk. I haven't run a mile in eight minutes, much less driven one in the truck, in years! Looks like I might want to get up off the couch and get to running! The researcher states that that is the best practice if I want to keep the ol' ticker ticking. I don't know, it takes me longer than eight minutes just to tie my shoes! Maybe San Francisco needs to put that up for a vote! Eight minute mile versus circumcision--seems like a toss up to me!
Finally, the University of Kansas conducted a study of 15,000 people and found out that there isn't much difference in the sex practices of atheists and highly religious people. Sin is sin according to their findings. The only difference between the two groups is that the religious felt guilty. Researcher Darrel Rey stated that the guilt "does not stop them, it just makes them feel bad." I wonder if the 15,000 were circumcised or uncircumcised?
Oh well . . . you can't make this stuff up! It has to be true because it was in the news! Until next week's news I am going to work on tying my shoes in under eight minutes, driving a mile in the pick-up in under eight minutes, and thanking God that my parents made the decision for me long ago concerning the issue of circumcision because I probably would have voted "NO" if I had a choice. No one likes pain, especially me, so don't hold your breath on me running (or driving) an eight minute mile anytime soon.
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