Slick
I’m supposed to pick up my sister and her family at the airport this afternoon, so I cleaned out the car’s back seat floor in preparation. Anybody need about 12 quarts of 30wt motor oil? Unopened, priced to go. $1 apiece OBO.
Archive of entries posted on February 2004
Disagreement is futile!
Censorship from the Treasury department? Anyone who publishes material from a country under a trade embargo is forbidden to reorder paragraphs or sentences, correct syntax or grammar, or replace “inappropriate words,” according to several advisory letters from the Treasury Department in recent months. What the hell? “Correct syntax or grammar?” Thought control is rapidly becoming …
Risk v. reward
“The FDA has approved Avastin for use as a front-line treatment for colon cancer.” Good news, right? But if you wonder what part of the story behind health care costs is, try this: “The drug will cost $2,200 per dose, with patients receiving two doses per month. Global sales of the drug are expected to …
Can’t get good help
My car registration needs to be renewed by the 29th, so I went looking for a service station to do the annual inspection yesterday. I had to drive about five miles to find one which had an inspector, passing about 20 other stations along the way. All of those had food marts or car washes, …
In defense of Kerry
The next time you hear some Republican operative claim that John Kerry has voted against 13 weapons systems (as claimed here by the RNC), cite the facts contained here in rebuttal. Fred Kaplan of Slate has done the legwork to find out just what each of the bills/resolutions cited in the RNC’s talking points contained, …
Voter ed 101
I attended my local precinct caucus last night (Democratic; did you need to ask?). It was held in the cafetorium (that’s archaic, isn’t it?) of a neighborhood elementary school. There were roughly 100 people there, and the party says it was a record turnout statewide. As more or less expected, Kerry won with ~46% of …
Pitchforks, part II
Well, it’s official. Mr. Bush has sided with the forces of bigotry and hatred. The last time an action was prohibited through the Constitution, it lasted just over a decade. There’s a very entertaining history of the issue here. I’m not going to try to guess what the political outcome of this might be, but …
John Muir won’t like this
Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Sierra Club? If so, be advised that that estimable organization is in danger of being corrupted by several anti-immigration groups. They are attempting to take over the Board of the Club, as they’ve tried before. I’ve heard about this in the past, but …
Toxic botany
Hey, all you folks who question the value of genetically modified plants; check this out. A hybrid plant called a Thales cress may be able to detect the location of land mines. Apparently the plant is highly sensitive to nitrogen oxide, a chemical often found in mines; its leaves turn from green to red when …
Grover needs help
Public radio and television, whose funding does not depend on commercials and ratings, is essential to the flow of information in a democracy. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) promotes and funds public broadcasting, helping to support programs and services that are educational, innovative, locally relevant, and reflective of America’s common values and cultural diversity. …