I gasped with near horror when I read The Day's lead story, "Antarctic ice melt called drastic," (May 13), on the unstoppable ice melt taking place in the Antarctican wasteland!

My immediate concern was for the penguins, not so much the polar bears.

How would these magnificent and highly monogamous creatures cope with such an imminent threat? Will their migratory skills save them? Can we undertake a worldwide U.N. rescue mission on their behalf?

I started to panic over my bacon, but then suddenly my thoughts aptly turned to all those foods once thought to be suicidal to consume, like eggs and cheese and even butter. And then I remembered that not too many years ago people were buying aspirin in bulk because they were told it could help prevent cancer or at least a second heart attack.

And just today I heard that nutritional scientists now claim that there is no real health benefit to chocolate or red wine. Darn, just when I was finally getting comfortable with these sinful pleasures.

Oh well, I guess settled science isn't always so settled. I'll have to think about that in the days ahead as I brace myself for the coming deluge.