Severe drug users can become immunocompromised, and I'm guessing that this is what happened in her case. She had impetigo within the past year, and I'd wager that the emphysema is the result of a respiratory infection, exacerbated by the smoking.

I love her voice and I feel sad for her, but I find her very tough to look at. She looks like she could drop dead at any moment.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 6:03 AM on June 23, 2008

I liked it. The sentiment was pure, and there were some unintentional comedy gems, like the fact that the wagons were pulled by cows.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 12:33 PM on June 16, 2008

whenever I read the term staycation, i think it says Stay Cation, as in, don't migrate towards the cathode.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 9:57 AM on June 12, 2008

Their lives, not yours. If you don't like how many kids they have, or the means by which the children were obtained, then don't watch there show. I'm a little bit surpised by the vitriol in the comments here.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 9:36 PM on June 7, 2008

I am your stereotypical Irish-Catholic liberal Massachusetts Democrat. Ted Kennedy is my favorite politician and I look forward to voting for him every time he's up for re-election. When he takes the floor and speaks out on behalf of the poor, the working class, equal rights, gay marriage, better funding for education, and other liberal ideals, I feel so proud. He's my Senator, and he stands for what I believe in.

Get well soon, Senator Kennedy.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 4:37 PM on May 20, 2008

Dasheekeejones,
He really is that great (unless you're a conservative). Take a look at his voting record and listen to some of his speeches. I was born long after the first two Kennedys were assassinated, but throughout my lifetime, Ted Kennedy has repeatedly stood up and fought for what I believe in.

three blind mice- The reason why Ted Kennedy gets reelected term after term is that he is a very effective Senator and one whose politics agree with the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 5:08 AM on May 21, 2008

"Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" by Meco.

Well, that explains things.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 10:58 AM on April 13, 2008

Holy shit, you guys, reading this thread nearly blew my mind. Honestly, I can't believe that people could actually consider this type of arrangement consensual or compare it to working in a cubicle. No one ever got HIV from their word processor.

Tkchrist, thank you for having the energy to continue the argument that rich, old men using their money, power, and influence to have sex with poor youngsters (be they male or female) is exploitation and it's wrong. I see it as... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 3:00 PM on April 2, 2008

er. over = other
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 3:00 PM on April 2, 2008

I'm not arguing that dying of starvation is worse than earning enough money to survive by getting fucked in the ass. I'm saying that the very fact that one is the direct alternative to the other invalidates arguments like "14 year olds are very sexual!" and "they're doing it by choice, so it's okay." They're doing it because it's a way to survive, which surely doesn't excuse the actions of their exploiters.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 3:19 PM on April 2, 2008

oops. worse = better. i need my afternoon coffee.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 3:20 PM on April 2, 2008

I honestly, unironically loved this YouTube comment:

this guys a boss

i bet he went into the next room and smashed jessica alba and cassie at the same time

while his mama was still knittin
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 9:40 PM on April 1, 2008

I rent, partly because I don't have the money to buy, and party because thinking about things like water heaters is something I never want to have to do. Renting isn't "throwing your money away," it's paying someone else to take care of the shit that you don't want to deal with.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 1:34 PM on March 22, 2008

Am I the only one who thinks something along the lines of "Serves him right for marrying a hot blonde model decades his junior?"
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 12:48 PM on March 18, 2008

Marvelous post.

Some things are worth fighting for.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 7:44 PM on March 15, 2008

You know, I always thougt that the reason that Colin Powel never ran for public office was that he had some awful military skeleton in his closet. I guess I was right. But Jimmy Carter? Say it ain't so!
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 5:35 PM on March 15, 2008

Great post! I'm an NBA fan so it's always nice to see some positive stories about the atheletes.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 7:03 AM on March 14, 2008

I formed the impression that some of today scientist/researcher are incredibily focused on grant-funding obtaining and maintaining strategies. I wonder where they find time to do actual research work.

The P.I.s get the funding; the grad students, post docs, and techs do the work.

I'm currently a Ph.D. student in microbiology and watching the faculty in my institution suffer through the current funding climate has turned me... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 6:49 AM on March 14, 2008

God, I hope that this doesn't cause McCain to lose the nomination. I vote Democrat, but any possibility of Huckabee becoming President of the United States scares terrifies me. He's a bible-thumping creationist who once advocated setting up quaratine camps for HIV patients. Basically, he's a lot like George W. Bush, only stupider and more bigoted.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 3:00 PM on February 21, 2008

Duets are certainly a guilty pleasure of mine...but this list is missing some of the male-female karaoke greats, like "I Got You Babe" and "Leather and Lace."
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 12:25 PM on January 27, 2008

Nice post, thanks!

And I liked the hover-over descriptions of the links...made it easier to find the music videos right away. With some link-heavy posts, it's hard to find the meat.

Also, parmanparman, no seas tan baboso.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 9:02 PM on January 26, 2008

Miss Lynnster, I just gave one of my best friends a copy of Geek Love for her 30th birthday. Oops. I haven't read it; I just heard that it was good.

For the record, I hated Lolita. I still think most people who claim to like it are faking because they think it will make them seem edgy.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 8:24 PM on January 26, 2008

touché.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 8:45 PM on January 26, 2008

I saw a version of this film in a foreign lanuage, with English subtitles, so I already knew what he said.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 11:39 AM on December 13, 2007

I don't know, I think there are some merits to the anti-opiate argument. I'm not saying I think sick people should be allowed to suffer, but they do come with a significant amount of risk. The article itself touched upon it:

“We are coming out of a war where a lot of human rights violations were caused by drug abuse.”

During the war, the rebel assault on the capital was called Operation No Living Thing. Child soldiers were hardened... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 2:51 PM on September 10, 2007

Seems like a lot of the commenters here believe that sports have no value because a they knew some football players who were big jerks in high school.

However, organized sports certainly benefit one subset of high schoolers.... the female ones. Girls who play sports get better grades, get pregnant less, and are 41% more likely to graduate from college.
posted to MetaFilter by emd3737 at 11:04 AM on August 10, 2007