Nicholsclan.com : a dimension of mind...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, I'm fresh back from Toronto and happy to report that there is no fever or other SARS symptoms yet. Everyone seemed concerned about me going, but in the end I decided that if I was going to catch something potentially fatal, I would prefer SARS to Monkeypox. I mean really. Would I want my kids talking about how they lost Dad in the Monkeypox pandemic of Ought-3? Or would I prefer to have fallen to SARS? The latter sounds like a much better legacy.

Honestly, the people in Canada think we're nuts - for lots of reasons - but the SARS media hype is what I was referring to. They don't worry about it. No one I spoke to even knew anyone who knew someone who had the disease. I had lunch with 8 natives, and among them there was only a single sighting ever of someone in a mask. So my recommendation is to put Canada back on your travel destination list for this summer. Hey, the lines are short and they are desperate for your business.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's hard to pity poor Martha Stewart. Few (including me) think she's innocent here. She knew what she was doing and that it was wrong. Unfortunately, her celebrity status is causing her to be vilified. In fairness, her unethical and illegal trading practices pale to others of less note who have done this sort of wrong on a much grander scale. However, they can't let her off easy or it will be seen as another famous person buying their way out. The only recourse is to make light of the situation like this.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
And have you heard that the house has passed a bill prohibiting flag burning or other desecration of the American Flag? My initial concern was that the annual Scout ceremony where they retire an old flag via the campfire would be stormed by troopers and all the kids would be hauled to jail. But I think this cartoon captures possible problems with the bill even better. I guess desecration is gonna be like pornography. We'll know it when we see it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably everyone who reads this blog has already heard this "breaking news item", but if you haven't, it's too good to pass up.

Apparently a high school teacher has been arrested in Washington D.C. He
was in possession of a compass, a protractor, and a straight edge.

It is claimed he is a member of the Al Gebra movement, a group known for
terrorizing students, and was charged with possessing weapons of math
instruction.