In uniform?--"Aviation officials have launched an inquiry after an 'uncontrollable' pig flew first-class on a six-hour flight from Philadelphia to Seattle. The two women with whom it was traveling told U.S. Airways it was a 'therapeutic companion pet.'"--News item.

Merely free enterprise--A federal appeals panel upheld an Alabama judge who ruled that the Rite Aid pharmacy chain was within the law in concealing the fact that it charges uninsured customers more for their prescriptions than those with coverage.

The good judges apparently scoffed at the charge that Rite Aid was violating a racketeering statute.

Meanwhile--An audit showed that Wisconsin's insurance plan had overpaid prescription coverage by more than $3 million in the past two years. The auditors said the state had inadequate control over what pharmacies charge for drugs.

And you think it's a sick society--A doctor in England's national health service was taken to court by a victim, 15, of the brain defect Down's Syndrome.

The youth also suffers a heart defect that is operable. The doc had told the family that the hospital performed surgery only on "normal" patients. He also advised that children with Down's Syndrome didn't "contribute to the community."  
 
 
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