With only two columns left to write there suddenly seems to be many new and interesting topics I#'d like to cover. So if I seem like a mourner at the Arafat funeral emptying my M-16 clip but with thoughts not bullets, I apologize.

One concern would be the possible extinction of polar bears due to the increase in temperature at the poles. I#'m sure it won#'t be long before someone disputes global warming as the cause and contends polar bears melt their ice floe habitat by regular urination.

This issue may prove inconsequential as the present course of the artic ice on which they ride may well doom the bears by plunging them off the edge of the world into the great abyss.

I could speak on the evangelical bloc that aided Bush#'s re-election "calling in their markers" by demanding that Arlen Specter not be named head of the judiciary committee because of his stand on Roe versus Wade. Suddenly the separation of church and state has become muddled.

I listened at a workshop given by Starhawk, a spiritual leader and political activist, as she raised some interesting questions which could well be explored. Such as, why are the people so adamant about maintaining family values the same people who are against raising the minimum wage, keeping those in low paying jobs working more than one to survive and preventing them from spending any time at home? Why are those employed in the care of our children and our elderly grossly underpaid and those that manufacture armaments, toxins and poisons richly rewarded? Why do those most insistent that no child be left behind, demand more testing, thereby promoting a more competitive instead of cooperative educational system, increasing our children#'s homework load and the pressure upon them to excel, while tying the creative hands of good teachers, ensuring that many children will indeed be left behind.

If I wished to get Gary Finch in more trouble with fellow republicans, I could support his decision to stick to his principles and vote in favor of "Timothy#'s Law." This legislation will serve many with mental health issues, although I#'m dismayed that the current focus of the industry is the dispensation of pharmaceuticals rather than real solutions to problems. I can#'t foresee this changing until consciousness shifts and socio-economic pressures have been relieved (see prior paragraph). On the topic of pharmaceuticals, one could expound upon recent accusations that the relationship between the FDA and drug manufacturers is a bit too cozy.

And if I had more time I could delve into my biggest question regarding Yassar Arafat#'s death, besides rumor of his possible poisoning; what happened to his hat?