Difficult drunk driving choices, Braylon gets the boot and issues caused by Himalayan glacial melting

- The decision of what to do when you are too drunk to drive is always a dicey one. Even if you assume that not getting behind the wheel yourself is the obvious choice (and it should be), that in and of itself doesn’t solve the quandary. Even then, a lush must decide between multiple options: calling a cab, having a friend drive them home in their own car, having a friend come pick them up in the friend’s car, walking home - you can see how tough the choice can be. For one Marin County, California couple, the answer turned out to be none of the above. They didn’t call a cab after getting drunk during dinner at a downtown restaurant Sunday night, nor did they call a friend to drive them home. But why would they need a friend when they had the woman’s son with them to do the driving - their 13-year-old son. Yes, Heather Choulos and her boyfriend decided that having her underage son do the driving because they were just too liquored up to drive themselves. And a splendid plan it was, right up to the point where the boy stopped the car because he was "freaked out" and refused to drive further. Police came upon the vehicle when they investigated a call about vehicle stalled on a major thoroughfare. That’s when they found the family Choulous and unraveled the convoluted plot that brought them to that point. The boy will obviously face no charges, but his mother will face charges of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor — both misdemeanors. Oh, and it’s also worth nothing that both adults in this situation have multiple drunken-driving arrests, so while their judgment here seems sketchy, it may actually be an improvement for them. The boyfriend, not being charged with any crime, was not immediately identified. In the end, I’m going to have to come down on the negative side of this one, because having a terrified kid driving with two slobbering-drunk adults in the car trying to guide him is an extremely minor improvement (no pun intended) over the drunks driving themselves. It’s still not an acceptable solution to the drunk driving conundrum and Heather Choulos and her boyfriend can do better…..I hope…………

- For all of the jokes about troubled wide receiver Braylon Edwards being traded to the New York Jets because he (allegedly) assaulted a friend of LeBron James and James had him shipped out of town, the reality of why Edwards is gone can be seen merely by tracing back through Edwards’ time in Cleveland. After being drafted by the Browns in 2005, Edwards enjoyed three relatively productive seasons, culminating in his 1,289-yard, 16-touchdown season in 2007. But during his time in Cleveland, he has repeatedly clashed with teammates and coaches, failed to show up for minicamps, gotten speeding tickets for going 120 mph and been the one out getting drunk (and possibly high) with then-teammate Donte Stallworth the night Stallworth struck and killed pedestrian Mario Reyes on South Beach. On the field, his stone hands and NFL-best skills at dropping passes have made him a frequent target for disgruntled fans tired of watching their team lose. By the time Edwards cold-cocked Edward Givens (allegedly) early Monday morning outside of a Cleveland nightclub, he was already on thin ice. And so while the NFL investigates whether Edwards violated the league's conduct policy, he is being shipped off to New York to cause his headaches there. He could still be suspended by the NFL because the league's conduct policy states that discipline may be imposed for "the use or threat of violence." Cleveland police are also continuing their own investigation, so criminal charges could still be forthcoming. Reports have also surfaced that other Browns players may have been involved in the incident outside of the View Ultralounge and Nightclub. The one humorous side of this story, if you can call it that, is Edwards’ insistence (prior to this incident) that his troubles in Cleveland stemmed largely from the fact that he is a Michigan native and attended the University of Michigan prior to coming to Cleveland. “The state of Ohio hates Michigan,” Edwards is quoted as saying. “I’m not making anything up.” Well now you don’t have to worry about that, B. Now you can play in a place where millions of New Yorkers will be able to hate you solely because you are an overrated, stone-handed receiver who drops key passes and often acts like an ass toward his coaches and teammates…………

- I never enjoy bringing you negative environmental news, but that’s the only type of environmental news there seems to be these days, so here goes. Apparently the beautiful glaciers in the Himalayas are receding quicker than those in other parts of the world and could disappear altogether by 2035, according to the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. The glaciers are a key part of the ecosystem because their runoff has an essential role in the economies, agriculture and even religions of the region’s countries. Deglaciation could deprive those regions of one of their main water sources and seriously harm the many rivers the glaciers help supply: the Indus River in Pakistan, the Brahmaputra that flows through Bangladesh, the Mekong that descends through Southeast Asia, the Irrawaddy in Myanmar, the Yellow and Yangtze rivers of China and a multitude of smaller rivers that flow through the Indo-Gangetic plains of Northern India. Using satellite data from the Indian Space Applications Center, in Ahmedabad, India, scientists have determined that from 1962 to 2004, more than 1,000 Himalayan glaciers have retreated by around 16 percent. The increase in runoff has already sparked an increase in the occurrence of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), which result in loss of lives, property destruction, a loss cultivable land and environmental degradation (not unlike a visit to your hotel by a drunken Axl Rose). Some countries, namely India and China, are actually looking for ways to turn the lemons of this situation into glacial lemonade by exploring opportunities to harness Himalayan waters for hydroelectric power projects. Still, the power that could be provided by such endeavors would be outweighed by the many negative long-term consequences of deglaciation. Less glacial runoff because of shrinking glaciers would mean less available water and in turn, all-out brawls between nations who depend on glacier-fueled bodies of water for their survival. The South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People estimates that almost 70 percent of the non-monsoon flows in almost all the Himalayan rivers come from glacier melt. In other words….uh-oh! Even if China and India are able to follow through on plans to sign an agreement this month that will enable scientists to cooperate on cross border research with regard to the Himalayan glacial melt, disaster could still be on the way in this very combustible region of the world. Just don’t expect the fight to be conducted using water guns…………

- Good grief. Thanks for reminding me why I despise you and groups like yours, National Organization for Women. Even though I think David Letterman is a scumbag for sleeping with numerous female staffers on his late-night show over the years and cheating on his girlfriend (now his wife) in the process, the hubbub that kooks like NOW are making out of this molehill is absurd and offensive. Even after Letterman admitted his misdeeds as part of explaining the extortion scheme against him, NOW is all over his case, accusing him of promoting a hostile, uncomfortable work environment. "The latest Letterman controversy sheds new light on the widespread objectification of women in the workplace," NOW said in a statement Tuesday. "Most women can attest to the fact that many workplaces are plagued with inappropriate behavior by men in power." Uh huh, whatever. Look, nothing pisses me off more than organizations like now claiming that men are somehow forcing themselves on these women or taking advantage of them when in reality, odds are that these chicks hopped into bed with Letterman because…..wait for it…..they wanted to. Whether it was the fascination some women have with powerful men, some sort of other attraction or just getting drunk and doing something stupid, not one of these women has ever accused Letterman of coercing them into sexual activity. None of the women claims that Letterman threatened to fire them or withhold a promotion if they didn’t sleep with him. The only crime he appears to have been committed by CBS producer Robert Halderman, who allegedly threatened to go public with embarrassing information about Letterman's private life unless the comedian ponied up $2 million. How ridiculous are the femi-Nazis at NOW for saying that Letterman's behavior was inappropriate because “all employees should be respected for their talent and skills.” For one, I’m pretty sure Letterman did respect their talent and skills, especially their skills in the bedroom. Secondly, his sleeping with them has nothing to do with his evaluation of their work performance. The two are mutually exclusive and he could absolutely have sexed it up with a woman one night and treated her fairly as an employee in the future. "Recent developments in the David Letterman extortion controversy have raised serious issues about the abuse of power leading to an inappropriate, if not hostile, workplace environment for women and employees," NOW said in Tuesday's statement. Blah, blah, blah. Saying that Letterman created a “hostile work environment through sex” is ludicrous because that’s implying that what happened in whatever location Letterman and his ladies got carnal was then brought into the office and I just don’t believe you can say that with certainty. Stop trying to create more problems where those additional problems don’t exist, NOW. You are agitators, irritants and instigators who are more concerned with your own agenda and proving your point than you are with truth and reality. Go away, you femi-Nazi cows, and stop making life even more miserable than it already is for the rest of us………..

- How is this for a rarity in the music world? This week, Eminem revealed that his "Relapse 2" album, slated for a late 2009 release, is already finished. During an interview, the rapper said that fans can't expect plenty of surprises on the album, including a rap showdown with his protégé 50 Cent. "It's pretty much finish as far as recording. All that's left to do is mix," Eminem said. "We've kind of done it [rap face-offs] on other records, but not like to the extent on this one." For those expecting a carbon copy of the first "Relapse," which sold 608,000 copies in the United States in its first week and has moved 1,461,000 units to date, this album will be a bit of a disappointment. Eminem insists that this album will be much different on several levels. "The overall basis of the record is going to be more emotionally driven. On the last record I was concentrated more on just spitting," he said. “I had to get it all out of my system -- I wanted to prove to myself I can do it again. He added that now that he’s at a place in his career where he doesn’t need to put albums out and does so because he wants to, the end product could be even better. For “Relapse 2,” past collaborators like Mr. Porter, Just Blaze and Dr. Dre will all be on the album to varying extents. Dre is, of course, Eminem’s long-time mentor and the two have a great rapport. To help build the hype for the album’s release, Eminem will be one of the headliners at this year's Voodoo Experience festival in New Orleans, his first full live performance in over four years. Not that there aren’t enough big names to draw fans to that festival anyhow, but the chance to see Eminem perform a full set for the first time in four years should definitely make the Voodoo Experience festival a hot ticket. With the album already in the can, it remains to be seen if fans will receive it with the same enthusiasm as Eminem’s previous efforts…………