Napalm packed for shipping?--"The Army is creating quick strike combat brigades in four more states as part of the Pentagon's strategy of making the service nimble enough to ship thousands of troops anywhere in the world in a matter of days."--News item.

Between a rock...--"MICHIGAN--Scientists are warning adults that eating too much Great Lakes fish could lead to brain damage. A nine-year study of 180 Michigan residents who ate Lake Michigan whitefish, trout, salmon, perch, and other species linked memory and learning problems to exposure to PCBs."--USA Today, July 13.

...and a hard place--"WEST VIRGINIA--Children and pregnant women or nursing women were warned to restrict their consumption of fish caught in state streams. Health officials cited mercury contamination, which attacks the central nervous system and can lead to birth defects. Emissions from coal-burning boilers and power plants are considered leading causes of methyl mercury deposits in rivers and streams."--Same as above.

Hey, no problem--"DENVER--Local air quality officials are touting voluntary efforts by refineries to blend gasoline that cuts down on summertime ozone. What they're not saying is that for nearly a decade they've backed oil company requests for waivers of tougher gasoline standards that would cut back on ozone-producing emissions even more."--Rocky Mountain News.

The final solution?--"Seattle police officers in two cars fired more than 20 rounds at each other...after they mistook each others' vehicles for a stolen police car."--News item.

Capitalism and health--Recently, the Wall Street Journal devoted two pages to mental health. It cites a finding that in a typical office of 20 people "chances are that four will suffer from a mental illness this year. Depression, one of the most common, particularly hits workers in their most productive years." The paper mourns that this is costing business $70 billion in medical coverage, lost productivity, etc.

P.S.--It's not just the employees who get hit by pressure-cooker capitalism in general and their work site in particular. One Journal piece inquires, "What happens when it's the boss who's suffering?" Answer: Pretty much the same as employees. If they don't get a grip, they get iced.

Not to end on a grim note, but...--Over the past 50 years facts have seeped out about U.S. and UK atomic research. Infant cadavers were shipped from various parts of the world to measure the amount of strontium 90 absorbed by those exposed to nuclear testing. The name of the research? Project Sunshine.  
 
 
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