$500 Million to Keep India's Smokers from Lighting Up

I guess it's just pocket change to Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, but together they have pledged that many millions to fund smoking cessation programs in India, China and Africa. That's sure swell of them. It's today's top story in Newsday.

Yesterday's Daily Herald explained how staying healthy may be more taxing on our health care systems rather than less. As Froma Harrop said "Let's put it bluntly: Longer lives cost more money."

If I had $50 million burning a hole in my pocket, I think I would build a really awesome boarding school, like Hogwarts. Then I would collect all the children whose supposed guardians are starving them, beating them and destroying their souls. I stayed home to raise my own children, and I firmly believe that's the best way. But there are people who, while they can biologically produce children, are absolutely incapable of raising them and should be kept as far away as possible.

I think many kids would choose a cool Hogwarts-style orphanage rather than take a gamble on a foster family that may or may not work out. Of course there are wonderful foster families out there, but there are also bad ones and way too many kids have way too few options.

But sleeping in four-poster bed in a turret with your best friends? It worked for Harry.