So how did Merck convince the government to implement this plan? It sounds like they paid for this decision, given how controversial Gardasil is. 

I bought a rolling file cabinet a few years ago along with some colorful hanging files and file folders. I stuffed it with all the minutiae of my life. It occured to me the other week that I ought to sift through it and see what's actually important to hold on… Read full post »

What I'd like for Christmas:

• A California-illegal "assault weapon," a full-on combat rifle with a thousand rounds of armor-piercing ammunition (no DU plz).
• Half a dozen 55-galloon water storage containers
• Ten thousand dollars worth of gold coins
• Even more firewood, propane and canned soup than I al
… Read full post »

So read the cheap bumper sticker on the crapped out car ahead of me. Really? How is it your daddy is fighting for our freedom, honey? By occupying some piece of shit country on the other side of our planet which happens to have resources our corporations want to exploit? Is… Read full post »

This is the most concise summation I've read to date:

 "The world economy is poised to experience the worst financial crash in history because, according to Dow Jones' MarketWatch, the derivatives market dwarfs the real market for goods and services, and because the huge derivatives market is es… Read full post »

When I was near high school graduation (Ford was in office), an ad arrived from a photo house in Pella, Iowa offering a Pentax 1000 35mm camera for a little over a hundred dollars.

I'd been the family photographer since I was born, using a progression of unwieldy cheap cameras. My… Read full post »

You can find bags of 90% and 40% silver coins which were once in circulation. There are no one-ounce .999 silver coins to be had at this time. Nor are there any 100-ounce silver bullion bars available at this time.

 What does this tell us about people's faith in the US… Read full post »

Too bad my original post was lost while posting it. Hmm.

 Too bad that neither salon nor open.salon seems to have any story or blog about the bail out passing in the Senate last night.

Of particular interest to me was a YouTube video of Senator Feinstein explaining that while her… Read full post »

Cash and silver coins. And canned food.

Eleanor Coppola shot a documentary on her husband's directing "Apocalypse Now" in the Philippines. After a typhoon wrecked the sets for the movie and virtually guaranteed that it would be over budget and late, Mrs. Coppola's husband put on a recording of his favorite Italian language opera (… Read full post »

Another e-mail asking for money. This one is for a Democratic candidate. I actually batted out a quick reply:

How much more money do I need to contribute to various worthy causes before I see EVEN ONE FUCKING THING GO IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?

A hundred here, a hundred there. Ah,… Read full post »

http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/its_the_derivatives.php

"Until recently, most people had never even heard of derivatives; but in terms of money traded, these investments represent the biggest financial market in the world. Derivatives are financial instruments that have no intrinsic value but der… Read full post »

Day one, Republican convention, September 1, 2008.

Does this look like martial law to anyone other than myself?

 http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/99433

  Read full post »

She only woke up enough to open her eyes and look at me. You woke me for this?  Read full post »

It's sure looking that way.

In the September 16, 2008 New York Times, an editorial entitled "Holding Mr. Rove in Contempt" makes clear the urgency and reasoning behind insisting that Ms. Pelosi schedule a date for "a vote to hold Karl Rove in contempt for his lawless… Read full post »

"Instead, Mr. Cheney again called on Western nations to push forward on new oil and gas pipeline projects -- such as those planned through Azerbaijan and Georgia -- to help break Russia's vital grip on Europe's energy supplies."

Cheney Chides Russia in Speech to European Security Conference 

I s… Read full post »

Say thirty days, maybe ninety.

If the new President doesn't perform as promised, yank him, plug in the Vice President, give them thirty or ninety days to effect change.

 Obama's FISA flip-flop still stings. The choice between two establishment candidates who aren't going to change jack shit is… Read full post »

Someone on another site posted one of those ubiquitous poems allegedly by a US soldier which didn't mention OIL. You know, the GOP rah-rah wrapped-in-a-flag sentiment that seems to emanate from the belief that "God" wants us to kill the evil Afghans while bringing "democracy" to the surviving Afghans… Read full post »

Cindy McCain on ABC Today: Palin Has National Security Experience Because Alaska Is Close To Russia   Read full post »

I'm still waiting to read something in the MSM about Mohammed Atta's frequent visits to the SunCruz gambling boat partially owned by Jack Abramoff... see how deep the rabbit hole goes... 

DOJ Seeks Reduced Sentence For Abramoff In D.C. Corruption Case
Aug 27, 2008

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Instead of shuffling a bad teacher (like a bad Catholic priest) from school to school, districts ought to be able to fire them, tenure be damned. Let's face it, some teachers suck. It's no secret. It shouldn't take an act of God to get rid of someone who's not cutting it.… Read full post »

From Wikipedia:

Zacatón (aka Pit 6350) is one of a group of five interconnected sinkholes, or cenotes, located in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is the deepest water-filled sinkhole in the world with a total depth of 335 meters.

The name Zacatón comes from the free-f… Read full post »

The first day of school was this past Tuesday, August 19th, my daughter's tenth birthday. She was not pleased to be returning to school on her birthday. My son began high school the same day. As I dropped him off I stammered a goodbye, he was nervous, I was anxious.… Read full post »

This morning I set out to the town north of where we live, Escondido, to buy some fresh tortillas. I know from experience that my kids do not find this trip interesting and tend to grouse a lot when I drag them along.

We live in a highly yuppified… Read full post »

This is my latest hot loaf based on the recipe from Jim Lahey that appeared in Mark Bittman's November 8, 2006 NYT column. It's simple and requires no kneading. Baking bread is DEEPLY satisfying, actualized religion+ritual. The recipe turns out a loaf with cracker-crisp crust and large, irreg… Read full post »