OFFBEAT MAIL

Concerned about the severe impacts of air pollution on their health, millions of Americans are urging the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt stronger ozone standards that will protect the population from breathing this dangerous air pollutant. The clamor was sparked after the latest study of the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2007 reported that the air is still not clean enough to be considered safe to breathe in some identified parts of the United States. It also cited medical researches that millions are at risk from smog even at the levels the EPA has considered safe. What are ozone and particulate matter? Ground level ozone is the prime ingredient of smog, the pollution that blankets many urban areas during the summer. “When inhaled, even at low levels, ozone can cause respiratory problems and aggravated asthma in children, the elderly, those with respiratory diseases and even healthy adults who are working or exercising outside on a smoggy day,” science stu...

The idea alone of eating dog meat scares a lot people, especially those in the West, whose appetite for this animal seems remote considering that they are man's best friend. The question that would always crop up in their minds is that why should we kill dogs for meat purposes? Some kind of a big puzzle for many dog lovers, who even revered the animal as alternative companion for those who live alone with no one to care for them anymore. In fact, many people love dogs. Look at the Americans, they even have the guts to keep them by their sides during night time and they rear them like small children. So much so that some dogs become spoiled brats. To love an animal is not really that bad provided that you give them the proper training they need so that they won't put the whole house in a mess. Maintenance alone is a big headache for those who can ill-afford to share their time with dogs. Going back to eating dog meat, it is a bit strange as some people have claimed to be enjoyin...

Coffee break is such an inseparable part of man's habit, especially to people, whose jobs entail long hours of daily toils. Whether it be in the office, factory or somewhere else, workers make it a habit to enjoy coffee break as a means to easing up boredom at the work places. In countries where reporting to work is always in a fast pace, workers just clean up themselves and rush out in a hurry whatever transportation they could take to get to work on time. Because being late or tardy could put them in jeopardy at work. Suspension is a much better option, but when the management sometimes expresses no mercy of those who are often late. And the best solution is just to pack up with a cup of coffee on hand while driving your car on the way to work. But it is also used as an excuse when someone is bored in the office. To break this boredom, the worker has to make an alibi of going to the cafeteria to have a coffee break. In most offices, this practice is allowed for as long as the bre...

War veterans cry foul over mail fraud Surviving on a measly monthly social pensions from the federal government, many war veterans here have fallen prey to fraudulent transactions mostly done through direct mails by unscrupulous people across the United States. The normal modus operandi appears to be legitimate because the unsuspecting victims would receive mails that looked like their names have been luckily picked up in a lottery draw which in fact was done somewhere else. A case in point was that of Fortunato Magno , a disabled war veteran living in Carson, who got a mail that proclaimed him a lucky winner of a US$10,000 in a lottery draw made many years ago. But the catch was that he wouldn't be able to receive the full amount unless he sends some amount to a certain address as processing and service fee. "Believing to myself that I was lucky enough, I sent a check to the addressee mentioned in the letter," Magno said. Instead of receiving the promised amount, h...

It is common knowledge that illegal drugs are keeping international terrorism alive. Alone, the billions of revenues that are generated from its vast production in Afghanistan and the Golden Triangle is more than enough to finance all sorts of terroristic activities that Muslim extremists can do to destroy innocent targets they consider as infidels. The latest video, whereby forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was perhaps a gross neglect of its duties to stop further proliferation of poppy plantations in Afghanistan, whose by-products are illegally marketed throughout the world, particularly Europe and the United States. And sadly, the billions of revenues from the sales are used to buy guns and ammunition to sow terror in and outside the Middle East. It was surprising to note that NATO forces were seen searching for possible terrorist suspects in one of the hinterlands of Afghanistan. In the process, they stumbled on one of the biggest poppy plantations in the...

The U.S. government is in the process of strengthening its biometric identification measures against citizens of the 27 countries that have participated in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program to avoid another 9/11 incident in the country, where more than three thousand people were killed. In this way, Muslim terrorists coming from countries with whom the U.S. has waiver visa programs can be identified based on the fingerprints that are appearing on the passport information they supplied upon arrival at any of the entry ports in the United States. In a CNN broadcast today , Clark Kent Ervin , former inspector of the Department of Homeland Security, said that this move is expected to flush out those citizens coming from countries where the U.S. does not allow them to secure visas before entering the country. He cited United Kingdom as one of the countries whose citizens are not required to apply for a visa when coming the United States for a visit. The official said that this waiver program cou...

There are people who look normal on the outside but in fact, weird on the inside. There actuation , feelings, perceptions and beliefs are out of this world. But like wild mushrooms in the forests, these weirdos are fun and intriguing to be with. And the sad thing is that some of them feel that they can still find the Elixir of Life and extend their sexual libidos forward. But how do weirdos live and survive? Abnormal as they are, they are still a big part of the population who breath fresh air, eat fresh foods, gamble, dance, and cavort in the sun. Of course, others could hardly stand on their own but have to be committed somewhere else for health reasons. Noticeably, there are some whose sights are poor enough to read the daily stock results in the newspaper, but still try to keep themselves up-to-date using the magnifying glass to see if the share prices went up or down. Perhaps, they think that they have the superpowers to haul their excess wealth to heaven or hell, considering...