t has been something of a time-honored, axiomatic, how-can-you-take-issue-with-it, fact of life, that a low-fat diet is absolutely necessary to fight off cancer, heart disease and other related ailments. Now they tell us, in blaring headlines in just about all the major newspapers, that a low-fat diet does not cut health risks. The researchers credentials are impeccable and the $415 million study was carried out  over an 8 -year period involving over 49,000 women. It appears that, for women and probably men too, the study results don't recommend low-fat diets to the public to reduce their heart disease and cancer risk. Pig-headed on my part, but I don't believe the findings and I intend to continue to follow the federal guidelines for healthy eating; less saturated and trans fats, more grains, and more fruits and vegetables. I look forward to a similar test involving the so-called Mediterranean diet which has never been subject to a study of this scope;low in saturated fats like butter and high in oils like olive oil, and plenty of fish.
I suppose 8 years from now these official views, as printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association, will be revisited, reviewed and contradicted.
 
I take no credit for the following, but found it amongst my e-mails, signed SWL. Three thoughts that are timely and worthy of some pondering:

1) ZERO GRAVITY.
When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300C.
Can that be true? Word has it that the Russians used a pencil. (Tax time is just around the corner).
 
2) OUR CONSTITUTION.
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of smart guys, and it has worked for over 200 years. And yes, some would say, we're not using it anymore.
 
3) TEN COMMANDMENTS
By the way the real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse is that you cannot post "Thou shall not lie,""Thou shall not commit adultery," and "Thou shall not steal," in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians - It creates a hostile work environment.

More later..