I'm a proud member of Rotary International an organization that does wonderful work throughout the world. I just want to say thank you to The Rotarian  and author Kathleen Pratt for the interview in the July issue.

Graphic and forecast from the National Hurricane Center Sometimes, a meteorologist gets the feeling it is the "calm before the storm." That is a feeling I'm getting right now -- with the Gulf of Mexico water temperatures (the fuel for a hurricane) higher than average (meaning more fuel), I'm concerned for what August and September might bring. Now would be an excellent time to check your hurricane preparations! Part of the reason that there have been no storms affecting the United States so far in the 2011 hurricane season is the giant high pressure center causing the heat wave. AccuWeather graphic AccuWeather has a story, The Heat Wave will Reload and Relocate , that explains the heat wave certainly isn't over yet.

With the High Plains Conference rapidly approaching and with news that the Midwest Family Conference is being held in Wichita the same time (first weekend in August), I thought it might be a good idea to repeat my "Three Perfect Days in Wichita" feature from a few months ago. Day One is here . Day Two, visiting the Flint Hills, is here . Day Three is here . I also want to add a word about the Sedgwick County Zoo , which surprises many to learn is the 18th largest in the U.S. and one of the most highly acclaimed. There are a lot of interactive features and, if you have children, they'll love it! It will be great having you in Wichita for either of the conferences or at any time!

Here is the story : A 41-year-old Clarksville woman was arrested after Nashville airport authorities say she was belligerent and verbally abusive to security officers, refusing for her daughter to be patted down at a security checkpoint. Andrea Fornella Abbott yelled and swore at Transportation Security Administration agents Saturday afternoon at Nashville International Airport, saying she did not want her daughter to be “touched inappropriately or have her “crotch grabbed,” a police report states... The arrest comes on the heels of public outrage over a video showing a pat-down of a 6-year-old girl at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The April video prompted a new policy that took effect last month in which airport security screeners must try to avoid invasive pat-down searches of children. Note they use the TSA's term "pat-down" rather than what it is, a grope. Since I wasn't there, I don't know whether the mother crossed the line into trul...

Al Gore is at it again. This time, his brand of alarmism is "Climate Reality." It claims the recent tornadoes, floods, droughts, hurricanes, heat, cold, and acne (OK, I made that one up) are due to "global warming." And, guess what: There is yet another (yawn) 'worldwide' 24 hours, all-time zone event scheduled for September 14. What is special about September 14? Nothing, except statistically there is a high probability of a hurricane or tropical storm in the vicinity of the United States.  So, there will be a "convenient" storm (if the odds play out) that Gore can blame on "climate chaos." Of course, when Gore called it 'global warming' they used to have these events in the summer in Washington, D.C. so there would be an excellent chance of hot, humid weather. They would even turn off the air conditioning so the witnesses would be sweating. It made "better television." There is a 100% chance the media will uncr...

...for the write-up in Summer, 2011, newsletter, OuterSpace. They talk about April's tornado day at the Cosmosphere which was a huge success. If you are visiting the Cosmosphere this summer, they have autographed copies of Warnings  for sale in the book store.

Having had a small amount of money stolen from me at a TSA checkpoint (Ontario, Calif., if you are interested), I take notice of these increasingly frequent stories about the TSA stealing from passengers -- to the point they are almost becoming routine. Here is another interesting post from a passenger whose wallet was stolen while he was in the nude-o-scope (with his hands up in the "surrender" position). Of course, the TSA didn't find the culprit, the airport police did. Which begs the question: Just why is the TSA there if not to provide "security"? The vulnerability of my belongings (in addition to the health risk of being bombarded with X-rays) plus my displeasure at being photographed through my clothes is why I "opt out" of the nude-o-scopes when I'm passing through an airport where they are in use.