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My son-in-law, a senior resident at a midwestern hospital, had completed a routine physical exam on a six-year-old when the mother mentioned her concern about her son's craving for junk food.

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The doctor pondered on how he might get the child to see the light about his poor diet. "So," he asked, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" "I want to be a doctor," said the boy.

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I've got him now, thought my son-in-law. "And what would you say to a boy whose mother complained about his eating so much junk food?"

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Without hesitation, the youngster replied, "I ate junk food when I was a kid, and look at me now!"

"There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second."

                                                                                    - Logan Pearsall Smith-

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Jett Travolta, son of actors, dies at 16

• Story Highlights
• Jett Travolta was son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston
• Travoltas say Jett suffered from effects of Kawasaki disease
• Jett Travolta died in Freeport, Bahamas

(CNN) -- The 16-year-old son of actor John Travolta died Friday morning after suffering a seizure while vacationing with his family in the Bahamas, Travolta's attorney told CNN.

"At this point, we know that John Travolta and Kelly Preston's only son, Jett, had a seizure at around 10 a.m. this morning," attorney Michael Ossi said. "All attempts to revive him were unsuccessful."

The cause of death is not known, Ossi said. An autopsy will be conducted Monday. His body will be transferred to Ocala, Florida, for burial, he said.

Jett's death "was completely out of the blue," he said. "John and Kelly are happy when their children are happy. This is the worst day of John's life."

The Travoltas also have a daughter, Ella, 8.

Bahamian police said a caretaker at the West End resort where the Travoltas were vacationing found the teenager unconcious in the bathroom. Jett Travolta was taken by ambulance to Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport and was pronounced dead on arrival, police said.

Jett Travolta had a developmental disability that his parents, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, have linked to Kawasaki disease, an inflammatory disorder of the artery walls that most commonly occurs in young children and can lead to heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association, "About 80 percent of the people with Kawasaki disease are under age 5. Children over age 8 are rarely affected."

The causes of Kawasaki disease are unknown. Some scientists think it's caused by an infectious agent, such as a virus. Some studies have noted a link between the disease and carpet cleaning chemicals.

"With my son ... I was obsessive about cleaning -- his space being clean, so we constantly had the carpets cleaned," John Travolta told CNN's Larry King in 2001. "And I think, between him, the fumes and walking around, maybe picking up pieces or something, he got what is rarely a thing to deal with, but it's Kawasaki Syndrome."

Jett Travolta was about 2 at the time, John Travolta said.

Federal panel: Revenue for roads, bridges declines as motorists drive less

WASHINGTON - Motorists are driving less and buying less gasoline, which means fuel taxes aren't raising enough money to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs.

That has the federal commission that oversees financing for transportation talking about increasing the federal fuel tax.

A 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by the commission to finance highway construction and repair until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads.

The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing, a 15-member panel created by Congress, is the second group in a year to call for increasing the current 18.4 cents a gallon federal tax on gasoline and the 24.4 cents a gallon tax on diesel. State fuel taxes vary from state to state.

In a report expected in late January, members of the infrastructure financing commission say they will urge Congress to raise the gas tax by 10 cents a gallon and the diesel tax by 12 cents to 15 cents a gallon. At the same time, the commission will recommend tying the fuel tax rates to inflation.

The commission will also recommend that states raise their fuel taxes and make greater use of toll roads and fees for rush-hour driving.

Deteriorating roads
Although the cost of gasoline has dropped dramatically in recent months, such tax increases could be politically treacherous for Democratic leaders in Congress. A gas tax hike was one of the reasons they lost control of the House and Senate in the 1994 elections. President-elect Barack Obama has expressed concern about raising fuel taxes in the current economic climate.

But commission members said the government must find more road and bridge building money somewhere.

"I'm not excited about a gas tax increase, but the reality is our current gas tax doesn't pay for upkeep of the system we have now," said Adrian Moore, vice president of the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank in Los Angeles, and a member of the highway revenue commission. "We can either let the roads go to hell or we can pay more."

The dilemma for Congress is that highway and transit programs are dependent for revenue on fuel taxes that are not sustainable. Many Americans are driving less and switching to more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and a shift to new fuels and technologies like plug-in hybrid electric cars will further erode gasoline sales.

According to a draft of the financing commission's recommendations, the nation needs to move to a new system that taxes motorists according to how much they use roads.

"Most if not all of the commissioners have a strong belief and commitment that we need a fundamental transformation of the current system," said commission chairman Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a technology policy think tank in Washington.

Revenue gap
A study by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies estimated that the annual gap between revenues and the investment needed to improve highway and transit systems was about $105 billion in 2007, and will increase to $134 billion in 2017 under current trends.

Projected shortfalls in revenue led the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, in a report issued in January 2008, to call for an increase of as much as 40 cents a gallon in the gas tax, phased in over five years.

Charles Whittington, chairman of the American Trucking Associations, which supports a fuel tax increase as long as the money goes to highway projects, said Congress may decide to disguise a fuel tax hike as a surcharge to combat climate change.

Transportation is responsible for about a third of all U.S. carbon emissions created by burning fossil fuels. Traffic congestion wastes an estimated 2.9 billion gallons of fuel a year. Less congestion would reduce greenhouse gases and dependence on foreign oil.

"Instead of calling it a gas tax, call it a carbon tax," Whittington said.

Bottlenecks around the nation cost the trucking industry about 243 million lost truck hours and about $7.8 billion per year, according to the commission.

Friday 1-2-09

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Story Highlights

• NEW: Barkley says he's disappointed in himself, police were "fantastic"
• Police: Sobriety test "revealed there was probable cause to make an arrest"
• Outspoken commentator took field, blood tests, but not breath test, police say
• NBA Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist known for entertaining remarks

(CNN) -- Basketball commentator and former hoops star Charles Barkley was arrested Wednesday in Scottsdale, Arizona, on suspicion of drunken driving, a police spokesman said.

Barkley issued a brief statement, saying, "I am disappointed that I put myself in that situation. The Scottsdale police were fantastic. I will not comment any further as it is a legal matter."

Lt. Eric Shuhandler of the Gilbert Police Department said an officer pulled Barkley over after he ran a stop sign in Scottsdale's Old Town area, a trendy spot known for its nightclubs and bars. Gilbert and Scottsdale are in the Phoenix metro area.

"The officer identified the driver of the 2005 Infiniti as Charles Barkley," according to a written statement from police. "Mr. Barkley was administered the standard field sobriety tests after the odor of intoxicating liquor was detected."

At a news conference later in the day, Shuhandler said Barkley's "performance on the field sobriety test revealed there was probable cause to make an arrest."

Barkley declined to take a breath test to measure his blood-alcohol level, Shuhandler said earlier.

"When he arrived at the station, police administered a blood test, which is customary of our police department to do," he said, adding that Barkley consented to the blood test.

It will take "a few days" for the crime lab to test the blood sample and determine Barkley's blood-alcohol level, Shuhandler said.

The former NBA power forward was cited for driving while impaired and released.

"It was a pretty routine arrest," Shuhandler said.

Barkley's sport-utility vehicle was impounded under mandatory vehicle impound laws, police said.

Shuhandler said Barkley behaved professionally during the booking and was "very respectful and cordial with our officers."

Barkley, 45, is a commentator for TNT's coverage of the NBA.

In October, he told CNN's Campbell Brown that he plans to run for governor of his home state of Alabama in 2014, saying, "I can't screw up Alabama. We are number 48 in everything and Arkansas and Mississippi aren't going anywhere."

Although he is well known for entertaining comments and a <snip>y attitude, he also compiled an impressive résumé as a professional basketball player.

A Hall of Famer and 11-time All-Star, Barkley is one of four players in history to rack up more than 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists in a career. He also earned the NBA's most valuable player designation in 1993 and brought home gold medals with the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1992 and 1996.

His commanding performance on the court earned him the nicknames "Sir Charles" and the "Round Mound of Rebound."

Barkley was drafted out of Auburn University in 1984 by the Philadelphia 76ers and played 16 seasons with the Sixers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets before he was permanently sidelined in 1999 with a ruptured tendon in his left knee.

TNT is owned by Turner Broadcasting Corp., also the parent company of CNN.

Cable tussle threatens viewers' favorites

• Story Highlights
• Viacom believes fees it charges cable systems are too low
• Time Warner Cable disagrees, will let Viacom networks go if no deal struck
• Viacom networks include Comedy Central, MTV, Spike TV

(Entertainment Weekly) -- Can you live without "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Hills"?

Some of you may have to, if Viacom can't reach a deal by midnight Wednesday that would keep Comedy Central, MTV, and its 18 other networks on Time Warner Cable systems, according to a report in The New York Times.

The conglomerate was expected to take out full-page ads in major newspapers today explaining how fans would suffer if Time Warner refuses to ante up in the new year.

Viacom is home to kiddie powerhouse Nick (aka, the birthplace of "Dora the Explorer," "Drake and Josh," and "Zoey 101") as well as nets like Comedy Central, VH-1, and Spike TV. Time Warner cable systems reportedly reach up to 13 million subscribers.

Viacom believes the fees it receives for the nets are way too low, given how they attract a healthy percentage of eyeballs for Time Warner. The cable operator, in the meantime, is arguing that Viacom's profits are down because of the soft ad market and are desperate to increase revenue elsewhere. Stay tuned.

CNN and Entertainment Weekly are units of Time Warner, as is Time Warner Cable.

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Wednesday 12-31-08

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Search for missing cruise passenger called off

MIAMI - Mexican authorities have suspended their search for a Florida woman who apparently fell from a ship balcony during a Christmas week cruise.

The woman’s family believes she might have jumped overboard, but the FBI is still investigating whether someone pushed her.

The Mexican Navy said late Monday it had ended its search for Jennifer Ellis Seitz, a Florida journalist, who was reported missing by her husband about eight hours after a surveillance camera captured a person falling overboard on Christmas night. The U.S. Coast Guard also called off its search Monday.

The 36-year-old woman’s family said she had “previous emotional issues,” but they said there were no outward signs of distress while on the seven-night cruise from Miami.

Talks of starting a family
Seitz’s mother joined her daughter and son-in-law on the cruise.

“Jennifer was in a very happy and uplifted mood both before and during the cruise,” the Ellis family said in the statement. “She was excited about starting a new job and her future career with a local newspaper. She and her husband had been talking about starting their family.”

Seitz and her husband, Raymond, were celebrating their one-year anniversary on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship.

The ship docked Sunday in Miami. Norwegian Cruise Line said it was cooperating with the FBI.

No charges against husband
Raymond Seitz has not been charged with any crime. A message left seeking comment at the couple’s house Tuesday wasn’t immediately returned. The paving company that employs him was closed until Monday.

The couple met in a weight loss support group; both had undergone bariatric surgery. She chronicled her weight loss journey for an Orlando TV station.

She was also a freelance writer, having written articles for The Tampa Tribune, The Ledger in Lakeland, and an online article titled, “Battling the Bulge Onboard,” about how not to gain weight while aboard a ship.

On her Web site, Seitz described herself as an “avid traveler and an amateur chef.” She was previously a reporter for Florida Today, a newspaper in Melbourne.

Raymond Seitz was arrested in April on a charge of domestic violence-battery after being accused of head-butting his wife. The charge was dropped after he entered a pretrial diversion program. Records show that she asked the prosecutor not to pursue the case.

‘They stood out’
A fellow passenger on the ship, Jim Nestor, told NBC’s Today show Monday that Seitz and her new husband had “large and raw personalities.”

Many of the passengers saw them as contestants on an on-board game called “The Not-So-Newlywed Game,” modeled after a 1960s TV quiz show.

“They stood out a lot more than other people,” Nestor, a retired police officer, told NBC.

Nestor, who appeared on the game show with his own wife, said he ran into Raymond Seitz a day after his wife was reported missing.

“I had given him my condolences, and he had a plastic bag filled with quarters, and he said to me that he was going to the casino to see if he could change his luck,” Nestor said.