Classic Rock speaks out on the RIAA

Record Labels Struggle With the Album's Demise (/. coment):

Yeah they are in Dire Straights. They need to Rush and abandon their Cheap Tricks and keep their Doors open to a new Genesis, or get crushed under the Rolling Stones of progress. One day when you mention the RIAA, your buddy will respond, "The Who?"

the annual day of hate...

it always comes in threes...

1. I discover that I have a broken headlight.  This is only a 1 1/2 year old light.  The predecessor lasted 6 years.  I'm not happy.
   
   
2. I discover that I left my dogtag at home in the jacket I didn't need.
   
   and finally...
   
   
3. It's f'in' window washing day again.

   WHAM

   WHAM

   WHAM

   WHAM

   WHAM

   you missed a spot...
   

Add to that the reason I never try to get to the office at 9 - I never make it.  Today's commute was almost 50 minutes long, as opposed to my usual 25.  Had I left at my usual time, I would have gotten here at exactly the same time as I did today.

while we're in rant mode,

Hey Yahoo's AP editor: WE DON'T NEED TO FUCKING KNOW THAT EMINEM AND HIS EX-WIFE ACTUALLY GIVE THE SLIGHTEST SHIT ABOUT EACH OTHER.  NONE AT ALL.  IT IS IN NO WAY AT ALL A VALID STORY TO PUT UNDER ANY "TOP STORY" PAGE ANYWHERE ON THE FUCKING PLANET.

And guess what got dropped by AP on Yahoo to make room for that?  The actually VALID news item about a Reagan cabinet member being charged with fraud.  Yes, real news about real corruption by a the real (if former) government official isn't as important as EMINEM being "agreeable" with his ex.  NOBODY IN THE WORLD NEEDED TO KNOW THAT.  NOBODY.

Fuck I hate that shit.

how the government is, itself, sick?

Mike the Mad Biologist: The Political Failure of Annual Influenza

One of the few predictable statistics in American public health is that between 35,000-40,000 people will die every year from 'ordinary' influenza. Most of these deaths are preventable. Yet we do nothing.

In the U.S., influenza kills approximately the same number of people every year as breast cancer does. But unlike breast cancer, we don't need to run, walk, jump, pogostick, or unicycle for the 'cure.' All we need to do is vaccinate enough of the appropriate people. It's that simple.

An effective influenza vaccination policy would involve the mass vaccination of those most likely to transmit influenza: children aged 5-18. Yet our public health response to the annual equivalent of twelve 9/11s is miserable. We can't even successfully vaccinate a high-risk group, children under 24 months old

[...]

How seriously can any of our bioterrorism or biopreparedness measures be taken when we can't even do this right, let alone adopt an effective vaccination strategy.

When are we get serious about the clear and present biological threat of annual influenza? Would a stupid ribbon help?