The surrogate
It begins with a woman who yearns for a baby and another who is willing and able to give her one. You can imagine the motives of the prospective parents. But what about the woman willing to carry a baby, give birth and then walk away?
Friday Night Rewind It doesn't matter which team you cheer for. We've got video previews of every high school football program in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando County.
Think global warming is wrecking the world? You haven't heard the half of it. Climate change is bad news for everything from Bulgarian brothels to baseball bats to beer — or so some people and news outlets would have you believe.
"(T)he future of the ash tree is in doubt because of a killer beetle and a warming climate, and with it, the complicated relationship of the baseball player to his bat."New York Times article about ash trees, whose wood is used to make baseball bats, July 2007
"Beer will be (in) short supply, more expensive and may taste different as climate change affects barley production, a scientist says."News.com.au,an Australian Web site, April 2008
"Climate change could be about to claim a new victim — the fashion industry. Designers and industry experts fear that the traditional seasonal collections which have formed the backbone of the business may become meaningless due to (the) increasing unpredictability of the weather." Daily Telegraph, October 2007
"Brothel owners in Bulgaria are blaming global warming for staff shortages. They claim their best girls are working in ski resorts because a lack of snow has forced tourists to seek other pleasures."Metro, a British newspaper, March 2007
"More Americans are likely to suffer from kidney stones in the coming years as a result of global warming, according to researchers at the University of Texas."Agence France-Presse, July 2008
"Climatic changes could lead to more outbreaks of bubonic plague among human populations, a study suggests."BBC News, August 2006
"Global warming has added an extra layer of anxiety to what people are already feeling."Sandy Shulmire, psychologist and ecopsychology practitioner, quoted in the New York Times, February 2008
That last one, come to think of it, isn't so far-fetched. Looking for more reasons to worry? The Web site www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm keeps tabs on hundreds of anxiety-inducing articles about the warming world.
[Last modified: Aug 05, 2008 02:01 PM]
Comments on this article
by Jack
Aug 5, 2008 2:01 PM
Greg, why pick 1998 as a starting point for temperature trend? Because it was the hottest year on record due to El Nino. 2006 was the second hottest year. If you go back 15 years, we're still hotter now. 50 years, hotter now, 100 years hotter now.
by jimmy
Aug 5, 2008 11:38 AM
News outlets have long known the seductive power of anxiety, the addiction to grief and bad news. Climate stories are today's version of the Red Scare stories of the 1950s. Difference? The Soviets actually WERE out to rule the world.
by Greg
Aug 5, 2008 11:37 AM
Global temperatures have been dropping since 1998.
by joetampa
Aug 5, 2008 11:37 AM
Why are most of the people who are concerned about our enviroment and reciting the global warming mantras driving around in SUVs while complaining about the price of gas?
by Larry
Aug 5, 2008 11:37 AM
We need to tax newspapers on their advertising revenue to save more poor people. In fact, tax all media on their advertising income. Everyone else is required to pay taxes. Why not them.
We can spend percent of media-taxes on global warming. Yes!
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