" The case of 12-year-old Parker Jensen from Utah raises this issue once again. Three months ago, Parker was treated for Ewing's sarcoma, a soft tissue cancer that was excised from beneath his tongue. The boy's physicians argue that he needs standard chemotherapy in order to eradicate any microscopic tumors that may have escaped their knives. The doctors believe that without treatment, he has only a 20 percent chance of surviving his cancer, whereas with treatment, he's got a 70 percent chance of survival. However, Parker's parents, Daren and Barbara Jensen, apparently told his doctors that they would not consent to chemotherapy. They pointed out that chemotherapy is not benign since it could stunt Parker's growth and leave him sterile.
Alarmed by what they believed to be the parent's irresponsibility, Parker's doctors contacted Utah's Division of Child and Family Services who took the Jensens to juvenile court. A Utah state statute gives DCFS and prosecutors the authority to intervene in cases where parents refuse to provide possibly life-saving medical treatment to their child. After the court ordered that the boy be put in state custody and treated, the Jensen family fled Utah, saying that they are seeking a second opinion about the need for chemotherapy. Daren Jensen has been found in Idaho and is fighting extradition. The whereabouts of the rest of his family is unknown."
Physician Heel Thyself: "On average, he reports, our northern neighbors wait ten weeks for mammograms, five months for pap smears, ten months for hip replacements and "the danger of dying on the waiting list now exceeds the danger of dying on the operating table."
Washington Post: Modesto has the seventh highest unemployment rate in the US.
The governor can be recalled, but will the people return?: "The most significant voting bloc in California's famous recall election isn't Hispanics or angry male Democrats but the people who were so eager to weigh in that they've already voted--with their feet. According to a report out this month from the U.S. Census Bureau, an astounding 2,204,500 Californians threw in the towel from 1995 to 2000 and highballed it out of the "Golden State." The state's net migration figure for the period is minus-755,536, and would be worse if Latin American immigrants didn't still drop in for a look. This is the first time the net migration number for California has ever gone negative."
Knowtice is Phil's new word. It means: "noticing something while at the same time realizing there is deeper knowledge, experience, and meta data attached" and "recognizing the significance of something in passing, in the moment, rather than relying on hindsight."
The Great (Driverless) Car Race: "Work around the clock. Spend tens of thousands of dollars. (At least.) Do the impossible. And get well rewarded by Uncle Sam. Dozens of small groups are driving to do just that by March 13, 2004. The impetus is the Grand Challenge, a race sponsored by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Show up with a vehicle that can direct itself from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in ten hours-sorry, no human help allowed-and you could win serious bragging rights. Oh, and a million dollars cash."
In 1977 Arnold Schwarzenegger gave an incredibly lewd interview in Oui, an adult magazine then published by Playboy Enterprises.
Activists file Guinn recall papers: "A group upset with Kenny Guinn's approval of the largest tax increase in state history has filed papers to begin recall proceedings against the popular Republican governor."
The First Atomic Age: A Failure of Socialism: "The first Atomic Age began with high hopes, but it has languished, being replaced in succession by the Space Age, the Computer Age, and the Information Age. Atomic planes, trains, and remote power stations discussed by 1940s visionaries were never built. Atomic powered ships, able to operate for years without refilling their fuel supply have seen limited civilian and military application. Most are now museums or being laid up as anachronisms. Nuclear submarines, powered by compact engines able to push their massive bulk at high speeds for years without any atmospheric intake or exhaust are widely thought to be expensive Cold War relics with no real mission or lesson to offer. Was it all hype?"
Which type of sauce with which noodles? "Thin, delicate pastas like angel hair or thin spaghetti, should be served with light, thin sauces. Thicker pasta shapes, like fettuccine, work well with heavier sauces. Pasta shapes with holes or ridges like mostaccioli or radiatore, are perfect for chunkier sauces."