…meanwhile—A Los Angeles Times reporter spent a day with Douglas Shafer, a stressed out California wine grower. He was among the growing number having executive physicals. Shafer, the paper said, “Would spend 11 hours being tested, diagnosed analyzed and counseled.

“He would meet with a nutritionist, a behavior psychologist and the Harvard-trained doctor who runs the program. Shafer’s body would be scanned…and his blood drawn. There would be lots of time with the doctor—and no waiting.” The fee? $7,500.

Dig this—“Schools are not spending enough time teaching pupils about the British Empire, according to the education watchdog Ofsted [Sorry, we don’t know who Ofsted is.]…. Ofsted’s report on history teaching in 2002-03 found that some schools were still spending too much time on Nazi Germany to the detriment of other topics.”—The Times, London.

A good ‘fashion’ tip—An accelerated drum-fire of advertising and media hype produced more than 8 million cosmetic surgery procedures last year. And the military is hoping to lure recruits with free facial, breast or nose procedures.

Solidarity, a good feeling—“Inmates at Oregon’s state prison raised nearly $1,000 for the family of a nine-year-old boy killed in an accident. About 150 men made donations to the family of Topaz Luna. Donations ranged from $2 to $10.”

The wheels of justice—A California grand jury is considering if it should indict a narcotics agent who shot a man dead last February. Agents mistakenly thought the victim was a targeted fugitive. A prosecutor told the jury that the narc agents had only an hour to be briefed about the suspect’s alleged violent behavior and to glimpse at a photo of him.

Mark it down—E-mail material for use in this column can be sent directly to our new address: thegreatsociety@sbcglobal.net. Postal clippings should be sent to: Pathfinder Books, 4229 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90011. Many thanks.  
 
 
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