Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Kids These Days

A series of articles in student newspapers at well-regarded institutions of higher learning indicate that not all young people are buying what the global warming alarmists are selling.

Consider a recent editorial in The Harvard Crimson that calls Al Gore and other celebrities for task for "talking the talk" on saving the planet, but not "walking the walk." Editor Peter Tilton notes that Gore lives in a 20-room mansion that uses twice as much energy in one month than the typical American home does in a year. And he points out that environmentalist actor John Travolta racks up tons of carbon emissions flying his five private planes.

An editorial in San Diego state's Daily Aztec is titled, "Death is imminent: Global Warming Kills" — and goes on to mock environmental doom-saying: "Global warming is not a problem we can fix. Earth's history is riddled with warm times as well as cold times... Global warming will not end the existence of planet Earth."

And the Stanford Daily gave a fair and balanced review of a lecture by noted global warming skeptic Siegfried Fred Singer. The paper explained Singer's contention that global warming is produced by the sun and that human contribution is negligible. Included in the article was a quote from another student who said he appreciated Singer's unconventional views and believed it was healthy to hear dissenting opinions.

Failure to Communicate

An 82-year-old hero from World War II died in Glasgow, Scotland because of rules prohibiting dispatchers from notifying an ambulance crew that was 500-yards away. The Daily Record reports former British soldier Ernie Rutkiewicz choked to death as his daughter frantically begged for help.

An ambulance crew was on meal break nearby, but government rules prohibit them from being disturbed and in fact they do not even show up as available on the dispatchers' computers. So it took 22 minutes for help to arrive and by then it was too late.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has launched an investigation and Rutkiewicz's daughter says she may sue.

Going Straight

A truck driver for the city of Chicago got his job despite his admission that he had been convicted of one burglary and five thefts in the past — even though the city had an unofficial policy of not hiring ex-cons.

The Chicago Sun Times reports Jerome Felske had made some influential contacts by helping to register voters for the Hispanic Democratic Organization — a group delivering votes for Democratic Mayor Richard Daley.

Then city officials found out Felske actually had 22 convictions and he was fired. Felske's lawyer argued that Felske had not been lying — he just forgot about the extra 16 convictions. And now the city's human resources board has ruled that since city lawyers cannot prove Felske lied, he must be given his job back.

— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.