whaddya gonna do?

I am--on an almost daily basis--speechless with the state of things. It usually happens when I read some of the day's stories online. Here is an example of things that I have read today. I did not search these out. They put them in front of me. This is the news.

Obesity is a big problem in the United States. But apparently, it is not getting worse. As quickly.

Obesity Rates Balancing Out

This is good news. We are just as fat as we were last year. Actually, we're a bit fatter, but just a little. It appears that we've reached a tipping point. A portly plateau.

But less of our fourth graders can read than in other countries. Ugh.

Fourth-graders losing ground on literacy

So, our kids are not keeping pace educationally, falling behind the rest of the world. Bummer, that one.

Also, it appears we may be unwittingly putting makeshift grenades to our ears.

Cell phone explosion may have killed man

What I love about this one is that the police officer says "we presume that the cell phone battery exploded." He presumes. I presume that the sun will come up. Or that Amy Winehouse could drink more whisky sours than me. I don't hasten to presume that my Nokia doubles as an IED.

So.............

Our dangerous chubbiness has peaked (virtually). U.S. children can read alright, but not as well as the children in Luxembourg. And in addition to their more common communication uses, our telephones are volatile weaponry.

I don't know about you, but I think I need a nice, cozy nap. And maybe one whisky sour.