I have grave concerns about removing Vicodin from the market, which I consider a rash move.

I don't have constant need for it, but when my back goes out or vascular disease acts up, I need serious pain management.

While 'black label' warnings are appropriate, pulling the product - especially without an equally-effective alternative - is over-reacting.

I don't take acetominophen separately, and only occasionally take NyQuil or Dayquil when experiencing severe cold symptoms, and I don't recall any cases where I was taking either of these concurrently with Vicodin.

The FDA should be renamed the RDA- the Revolving Door Agency as it is a revolving door between drug companies and the government. Though this is a common practice in our profitocracy it is exceptionally dangerous with this agency as it has resulting in thousands of deaths due to lacking oversight. The only reason that the FDA is dealing with this now is likely because the drug cronies are about to release something even more profitable. Please watch 'Prescription for Disaster' @ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2502546838698762400 to get a glimpse into this deadly problem.

Hey! Does the name Alzado stike a bell? In the 1970s there were many red flags raised about the use of these drugs. Why was this not contemplated then.

This is not actually news. This reminds me of theclear warnings about climate change in the 70s which suddenly became news in the new millinium.

As someone who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic, painful disease, I am very concerned about removing these drugs from the market. Although I rarely need vicodin, I do use other tylenol containing drugs for pain relief on a fairly regular basis. Responsible users should not have to pay the price for those who abuse these drugs. Alcohol consumption causes many health problems and it's available on the shelf!! I don't know the stats but I suspect it is responsible for more liver failure/disease than tylenol containing products.

The drug conversation...The average everyday "Joe or Jane" has no idea about liver issues with acetaminophen. I've asked many friends and relatives! They have (in the near past) had no idea about what can happen.

In clarification, a caller just referenced OxyContin and Oxycodone. There is a big difference. Oxycontin is a slow, time released formula (and usually combined with other pain killers)...Oxycodone is a generic, quick release pill, with no other additives.

I was quoted today on air as saying that the FDA should let consumers make their own choices "and mistakes". I never said that to the screener. What I said was that in this country, the FDA babies people who they assume can't read labels and make good choices for themselves
Since an 04 car accident broke many bones, tore many tendons and has caused pain problems, I've relied on Vicodin for pain management (due to Ulcerative Colitis I'm not to take Ibuprofen or Naproxin products due to stomach lining damage), if it's off the market, I'm at a loss. I am not addicted, I don't take it daily, I take it as needed for pain, like any other person takes the two other pain meds mentioned above. I'm not advocating that people should make mistakes, that is a silly mis-statement of my point. To be honest, I think the FDA pulls things off the market more for the reason of avoiding lawsuits for physicians and the concern about folks is used as a smokescreen to justify it. Why are we always so dummied down in this country by our government agencies and not merely educated. I"m all for labels and pharmacist teachings such as they do now when you're receiving a new prescription. Then we as adults, have the information necessary to make our own REASONABLE choices.

I think there is the general consensus among the population that TMZ is the scum of reporting, yellow press, celebrity harassers, and the perfect example of what killed Princess Diana. It's offensive to other credible and reputable media outlets to be even compared to TMZ.

Fascinating conversation.

I'd throw one more ingredient into the soup -- being the sole superpower.

When Hitlers threatened Europe, or when the Soviet Union was building ever more missiles to point at us, there was a big, serious, ever-loomimg sense that news was serious and was life-and-death.

We've been in this carefree couple of decades now where -- despite all the undoubtedly serious things going on -- the end of the world just doesn't seem all that imminent.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling, TMZ is mainstream!

Don't like it? Change the channel or find a new site.

TMZ. Is a pack of ambulance chaserThat is how they GET the stories!

I think MJ's death big news, but not the endless reverberations, leading to headlines such as

Jackson's will cuts out ex-wife Debbie Rowe

I don't care. Obviously, I am in the minority.

I think you're making a big mistake being so dismissive about the coverage of Michael Jackson's death. Put simply, the life and death of Michael Jackson have been extraordinarily vivid opportunities for us to think about and discuss and reorient our feelings about the most important issues in American life, issues which affect everyone, in particular: Money, Race and Family.

I don't know how long it takes to prepare the news for 11.00 on ABC e.g but if there is a chase everything has to stop for it; all the preparation, the weather report, sports, reporters on location - - gone for a chase on the freeway. News outlets always beat stories to death.

A year or so back, I participated in a survey regarding the potential format of the TMZ television show. At that time, their primary TV presence was on Good Morning LA (Fox morning), where the main guy often bantered with Dorothy and Jill, the female morning anchors. They were playing between almost straight news (like Fox) or more like the Celebrity hour show style. That is what we were voting on in the survey.

They had the Fox anchors REALLY pushing their online TMZ.com presence at that time.

At that time, I felt that the main guy was really trying to establish himself as some sort of CREDIBLE gossip reporter type. This statement is a hypocrisy of itself but that is how I felt, that instead of all but making things up (like you feel that the real rag-gossip mags do), they were using credible witness type sources or at least saying that their info was based on the same.

Sort of a toss between People Magazine and the Enquirer, sometimes with the Celebrities themselves getting involved in the stories. They also tried real hard back then, to establish the fact that they had some sort of values with regard to getting information vs. the straight paparazzi style.

I don't know if I'm allowed to do this but it's happening elsewhere too:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mark-steel/mark-steel-the-macabre-details-of-michael-jacksons-death-1726054.html

Tornado Alley. Why do tornadoes travel from the southwest to the northeast?
I grew up in Michigan, and we were always told to hide in the southwest corner of the basement. (Joke)I had an envirnmental studies professor say, "That's so they know where to dig."

I'm going to Yellowstone and Grand Teton for a 10-day camping trip. I leave on Tues. Thanks for reminding me about the SUPER volcano that I will be sleeping on. just kidding..
Great and interesting subject of the geography of our planet's weather and climate. thanks!

The Red Sea parting can better be understood by knowing that the Hebrew word is Sea Of REEDS. This implies that the parting took place in one of the many fresh water marshes in the Nile Delta. One can easily understand that the Israelites may have been able to cross over shallow areas where the 'reeds grow, whereas the heavy Egyptian iron chariots would get bogged down. After all, why would the chariots drive directly into open ocean. They would surely sink and die. In old English the word 'Red" WAS pronounced REED.

Has any mention been made of the Director of Caltrans, Will Kempton, leaving the shadow of the Guvernator to take a position with Orange County Transit Authority; presumably to pimp the 241 extension? Why is this relevant? It points to the fact that working as a State employee these schwartzenegger-days is unpleasant at every level, even as a Director. As an occasional listener, I probably missed the program where you showed how it feels to be a rank & file State employee trying to adjust to the sacrifice of what will soon be 13.8% less salary in the form of furloughs. That might put a face to your IOU stories. The furlough program is Arnold's way to bust the unions. It hasn't made a dent in the deficit but it has increased the misery quotient and pretty much ruined morale among us who serve the public. For your Orange County show, perhaps Gustavito can look into what Will Kempton had to do to get the new job [and $100K PAY RAISE]. What can he do to ram the 241 to the sea that others can't? We thought that he was really interested in us in District 12 (O.C.); that that was why he came down here so often. Turns out he was probably going to job interviews. Can't blame him, though. Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Even un enanito mentiroso.