Grow crops for food on arable land, generate (solar) electricity on non arable land and use (some of) it to split water for hydrogen. Hydrogen is the only totally clean fuel!

The only major problem is solar panel efficiency. Other fuel solutions have multiple problems, one of which is always Carbon. Not have to solve the problem of global warming gases being added to the atmosphere is a huge advantage.

Huh? Thalidomide? What?

I thought that:

1. Traditionally, pharm companies HAVEN'T tested on women (any more than absolutely necessary) because their hormonal fluctuations complicate studies.

2. Thalidomide didn't pass FDA review, it was thus principally a European problem.

I guess I was wrong, and am totally missing the point of CL's commentary.

So I looked at that Thalidomide link provided for a refresher on its history, and I wonder if CL looked at it herself. Thalidomide's approval was blocked by a diligent FEMALE FDA researcher named Frances Kelsey. Is this somehow not worth noting? She seems, in retrospect, pretty heroic to me.

Still missing the point here.

Your husband INFORMED you that his dad was moving in with YOU. He's away on duty, so YOU get to take care of his suddenly unemployed father. (as if taking care of two small boys isn't enough). You HAVE to run his errands for him?!?! Feed him, serve him, clean up his shit???

Do you have parents or family you can stay with? An old friend? Anyone? Because, you should leave. You are in a rather weird abusive relationship, and should get away before .... good god, what's next?

Yes, TELL your husband exactly, and in detail, what the problems are. Tell him the situation is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE, and it will be resolved in two weeks. He dropped this situation in your lap, without negotiation, he gets to fix it. When no solution is forthcoming; other than possibly an attempt to manipulate, cajole, or threaten you into continuing to put up with it; you must leave. Do you want Child Protective Services and the Health department in on this? Do you want to be stuck with JUST your father in law if CPS insists that your children not live in a house covered in fecal matter?

Yes, you CAN ask your husband to kick his dad out, if that's what it comes to. There should be another solution, but that would probably somehow involve pops becoming a normal, contributing member of the family. He sounds PROFOUNDLY dysfunctional, so that's not likely to happen. The best you can hope for is that your kids not have to wallow in that dysfunction.

My mom got stuck taking care of much of her dysfunctional family, and it really SUCKED for me. At least my morbidly obese uncle had his own room when he was with us.

Lay down the law, for the sake of your kids. Mom not being able to put you first really messes with your head when you're a kid.

Hey Salon, you should give Ebonius a star for that rant. Good job, E.

Har! LOL!

That's a good one!

Let me guess, you sell Jumbo Shrimp.

No? Maybe you work in Military Intelligence...

I once dated a Karen, for quite a while in fact. She was obsessed with my supposedly loud chewing, though my mouth was fully closed. Once, while travelling in Japan, she became quite incensed that I was rudely slurping my noodle soup; the fact that this is the proper and appropriate way to eat such soup in said country was simply not relevant to her. To this day I still don't get it, though I appreciate now being with someone who does not nitpick all the more because of it.

Actually, after Karen I got stuck with someone who was an insane Nazi about table manners, but she was pretty much an insane Nazi in every other respect too.

I was reading Malcom Gladwell's 'Blink' recently, and in it he discusses a marriage researcher who can accurately assess a marriage's survival prospects by analyzing just a few minutes of videotaped conversation between the parties. The most important point this researcher makes is that when he detects contempt by one partner for the other, however fleeting, he knows that marriage is pretty much doomed.

Good luck with that wife, Dipper.

For 2007, I'd like to see Salon come up with another real reason to read Salon besides HTWW; an environment blog. Amanda Griscom Little's occasional pieces are great but far too few. How about it, Salon? Readers, Andrew, Amanda, can you push for this?

I'd like to see it all in one place, stuff like:

Faster carbon dioxide emissions will overwhelm capacity of land and ocean to absorb carbon

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/08/02_carbon.shtml

and:

Changing ocean chemistry threatens to harm marine life

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20060914-9999-lz1c14acid.html#

and:

Ice at North Pole could be gone by 2040, scientists warn - Dire news on global warming as Geophysical Union meets in S.F.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNGE5MTQ211.DTL&type=printable

Which among other things lead me to believe that there's no way human population can reach 9 billion, or anywhere near it, without immediately crashing thereafter. Just a thought.

http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/

You get a copy of the book if you donate $125, which I just did.

Kudos to Mr. Weinstein for not tolerating this dangerous crap in the military.

I'm of the artist persuasion but much/most of my family were in the military, as far back as the revolution. Mostly Irish catholics, and many liberal democrats among those I knew.

My grandfather (Brigadier General)(yes I'm bragging about him) had a FIT when the neighborhood Mormons wanted to take young me to visit their temple. The thought of that still makes me smile.