Columnists

The narrative around the Mar. 26 sinking of the South Korean Navy Corvette Cheonan, and the death of 46 sailors, seems pretty straightforward: the ship was sunk by a North Korean (DPRK) torpedo. That was the conclusion by a South Korean (ROK) panel of 47 military and military-research experts and three international representatives. The only question left unanswered was the DPRK’s motive, with fallout from an internal power struggle holding the inside track. -more-

Returning from an extended vacation in Europe, it’s been impossible for me to ignore the dark cloud of pessimism hanging over the United States. Americans are depressed about the economy, the BP/Gulf oil spill, and the war in Afghanistan. A majority of voters feel the US is on the wrong track. Is it? And has that perception made President Obama’s job impossible? -more-

Today’s items from the Wild Wild Web: Valuable histories of Berkeley politics, and wallflower Mayor Bates speaks out. -more-

I don’t know how I got on the Center for North American Herpetology’s mailing list, but the traffic has been interesting so far. You get announcements from researchers with surplus boas to give away, notices of Florida sand skink post-doc opportunities, abstracts of new journal articles on euthanizing lizards, that kind of thing. Last week there was something a bit startling: a press release for a new book on the amphibians, turtles, and reptiles of Kansas.

Turtles and reptiles? Turtles have always been considered reptiles in good standing. If they weren’t reptiles, what would they be? What’s going on here? -more-

An M.D. of my acquaintance assumes that an aged person who does not have money or family will end up in a nursing home. Some folks, including “professionals,” assume that hospice provides assisted suicide. It is currently possible to obtain physician-assisted suicide, albeit not easily, in three states. Think Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Popular literature conveys two hospice pictures— an at-home service and a building/program somewhere else. Think Art Buchwald. -more-