I’m surprised to find that this blog has not previously mentioned the problem of undermedication for pain, a side-effect of the War On Minority Drugs. Here is a personal anecdote.

After seeing first-hand the lack of understanding and willingness to treat pain, I’m surprised the suicide rate of these sufferers is only [nine times] the national average.

Brian Doherty writes in Reason:

Obscurity is indeed the friend of much of the world’s evil, as [David] Brin insists when he rails that “financial privacy” concerns are just camouflage for drug dealers and tax evaders.

Am I the only one thinking non sequitur? Drug dealers and tax evaders are the good guys.

I have a touch of fever, and hope that is why my mood has been brittle the last few days.

(later) I see that Madhu is having a hard week too.

Boobage gallery to raise money for mammograms. Where’s the corresponding collection of prostate pix?

Weird. In the last few months I dropped from eighth to 53d most googlable “Sherwood”; now I’m back at eighth. I’m also the sixth “Anton”, my highest ever (by one).

In a comment to The Fat Guy, one James Rummel whines:

Sure, there has to be constant vigilence to avoid abuses of power. But most of them are up in arms because of actions against non-nationals, sometimes even POW’s captured on a battlefield!

An interesting choice of words. Is it not the position of the White House that these guys have no rights because they are not really POWs under the Conventions?

Last time I checked these guys never made a “social bargain” with the US. Saying that we have to treat the entire world with the same consideration as our own citizens would hamper efforts to end the threat to innocent people.

I know no words strong enough to express my disgust.
( . . more . . )

Lynn S is distressed:

Bach and Handel have been transcribed for banjo. The very thought of that inspires in me an emotional mix of fascination and horror. In other words it gives me the creeps. On the other hand, if the banjo had existed in Bach’s day chances are he would have written music for it and it would be the best music ever heard on that instrument. In addition to being a bit of a purist I’m also an acoustic snob so I could accept Bach on the banjo before I could accept Bach on electric guitar, however, I’m not quite willing to totally accept either one.

I guess she won’t be rushing out to buy Ars Longa Vita Brevis by the Nice (1969), in which Keith Emerson plays part of the Third Brandenburg on electric organ; a favorite of mine, though I find most of Bach’s organ works deadly dull. I’m also unimpressed by most classical guitar music as such, yet I very much enjoy harpsichord works played on guitar.