Holy Junk Mail, Batman!

Terri's parents may have lost all their legal battles one after another, but at least they're getting something out of it. They've sold the names and emails of their supporters to a conservative direct marketing firm. Maybe this makes up for the fact that Terri's husband wouldn't share the malpractice suit winnings with them.

It must be "Going to the Desert Month" for Angelenos

Aaron & Kirsten, May and Joyce have all made their pilgrimages to the desert. This weekend, I think Becca and I will go out to sniff the wildflowers. Joyce reminded me of Zzyzx Road, which has a more interesting backstory than I expected. Zzyzx Springs was founded by snake oil salesman Curtis Howe Springer, who claimed to be both a doctor and a Methodist minister (he was neither). He had a religious quackery radio show for 30 years and used Zzyzx Springs as a rest resort for fleecing his flock, until the inevitable raid by federal marshalls for "alleged violations of food and drug laws and unauthorized use of federal land". The location is now the CSU's Desert Studies Center.

This episode has been brought to you by Doc Springer's Antedelivian Cocktails and the letter Z.