THE LAUGH FACTOR

DOES IT PASS THE LAUGH TEST? THEY SURE DO. MY LAUGH THERAPY IS SUFFICIENT FOR ANOTHER DAY. NON-COMMON SENSE I'VE HEARD TODAY MAKES ME WANT TO THROW MYSELF UNDER THE JUGGERNAUT, BUT NO THANKS TO VISHNU, MY LAUGH FACTOR OFTEN MAKES LIVING WORTHWHILE. I HEARD THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WILL PROBABLY FORBID DRILLING IN ANWAR. THIS IS LAUGHABLE. THE OIL IS OURS AND THERE; LOTS OF IT. IT JUST MUST BE EXPLORED. 30,000 CARIBOU LIVE THERE NOW AS OPPOSED TO 5000 IN YEARS PAST. THE SPACE TO BE EXPLOITED IS THE SIZE OF A LETTER ON A PRINTED PAGE. ANOTHER JOKE IS THE PHENOMENA CALLED SPORTS FEVER. FROM "TAILGATE TO POST-GAME LOCKER ROOM" COVERAGE WAS TOUTED TO ME, A RADIO LISTENER, THIS MORNING. I LAUGHED. LIES, DRUGS, THUGS, BOORS AND A HECK OF A HUNK OF GOOD ATHLETIC ENTERTAINMENT CHARACTERIZE MY APPRAISAL OF MAJOR SPORTS. THIS COMES FROM A DIE-HARD FOOTBALL FAN OF THE 50'S, LOCKED INTO THE DUELS BETWEEN BEARS AND RAMS, VIKING AND 49'ERS IN CLASSIC, GOOD, OLD GAMES. THEN I HEAR A SCHOOL ADMISTRATOR - I CAN TAKE MY LOCAL PICK - CALL CLEAN-UP ENGINEERS, "HIS JANITORS" AND DISCUSS THE "SCHOOLS I'VE BEING IN." I'M NOT SURPRISED, BECAUSE I LAUGHED WHEN MY TEACHING DAYS WERE OVER. NEXT I HEARD A DOCTOR PRESENT THE LATEST SCARE THAT SCHIZOPHRENIA WAS CAUSED BY TOXOPLASMOSIS INHERITED FROM POOR, POOR KITTY. THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC, SCIENTIFIC, LEGITIMATE, CONVINCING DATA, NO STATING THE NUMBER OF CASES OR VICTIMS, JUST A WARNING TO PREGNANT WOMEN AND LITTLE CHILDREN. THE REPORT CONCLUDED THAT THIS DANGER ONLY APPLIES TO OUTDOOR CATS. HA!HA! I SHIED FROM NO FELINE BEASTIE IN MY YOUTH. I WALLOWED IN CATS AS A YOUNG MOTHER. I LAUGH THERAPEUTICALLY AS AN OBVIOUS, SENIOR FOOL. LASTLY, THERE'S THE LAUGH TEST'S FINAL ESSAY QUESTION. WHO NEEDS A GOOD WOMAN? HINT- HE "ENGAGES AMERICA'S BEST THINKERS." OF COURSE, IT'S CHARLIE ROSE - A LIBERAL TALK-SHOW HOST ON PBS. LAST NIGHT HE AGAIN KISSED A ROUNDISH, BI-FURCATED, CUTANEOUS BACKSIDE OF THE HUMAN FORM WHEN HE INTERVIEWED FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER. LORD JIM - NOW HE'S AN EASY 'A' ON THE LAUGH TEST.