ppp 12-14-09

Quote of the day:

Let us make a special effort

to stop communicating with each other,

so we can have some conversation.

Judith Martin, (Miss Manners)

In November I was busted for a TWH infraction. I went to the big North woods on a hunting trip. As I sat 15 feet in the air in my tree stand I found that I had more cell phone bars than at home. While the rain came down I decided to check on things at home. After a few quiet text messages, no harm I thought, I raised my arm in the air out of habit to get better reception as I sent a text message. It was then that I was busted for a TWH (Texting While Hunting). In the few seconds that I was engrossed in my little screen, a BIG buck had crept within 20 yards of me. The movement of my arm spooked the monster who promptly ran away too fast for me to drop the phone and react.

Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) is never a good idea, whether or not you get caught. In Sweden they take is seriously enough that if you are caught with ANY alcohol (0.2%) in your system while driving that fines and loss of license are mandatory and long prison sentences are common. Talking on the phone, hands free or handset, while driving is equivalent to a DWI blood alcohol level of 0.08% that would get you thrown in the poke in Minnesota and many other states http://www.cellular-news.com/story/18083.php . World’s Funniest Home Videos showed a picture of a very young girl who was texting while riding her tricycle. She ran into a tree but had a helmet on… no harm done this time but if kids will do that you can only imaging what they’ll do when they begin to drive. Texting while driving (TWD) is 3 times more dangerous that driving under the influence! http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080918100933.qj8ms49l&show_article=1 That impairment is for both reading or writing a text message.

Getting a TWH taught me a valuable lesson for next season. By NOT drinking and driving…by NOT talking on the cell phone while driving… or by NOT texting while driving I may just live to hunt again. Look out Mr. Buck, I’m leaving my phone at the cabin next year.

pps. Please note that some of the links may not be up for very long and that

Pfizer has started giving away even more drug to the poor than they were before the economy started going downhill. Dear Washington, is it really such a good idea to make it harder for pharmaceutical companies to do business?

Senators are adding an amendment to the health care bill moving through the Senate that would outlaw data mining of prescription drug claim data. Seriously, aren’t there other parts of the bill that really need attention? Pharmaceutical companies have been using the data to target their marketing efforts. Marketing tactics can change and adapt… will our economy be so resilient.

3) … but drug “reimportation” appears to have lost the support of ‘Bama

Safety concerns are being cited but getting political support from Pharma appears to be the real motivation. Who knows?

Many docs are ignoring the warning on this injectable anticoagulant. The drug accumulates in patients with creatinine clearances less than 30 mls/min. Surprisingly, dialysis patients have lower clearances than that… duh!

Season influenza will kill about 30,000 people in a “normal” flu season. The predominant influenza strain is now H1N1. This year it is taking kids, pregnant women, and the obese on a disproportionate basis. Native Americans have been hit 4 times harder than others. About 1 in 6 American have already been infected. Get the vaccine if you can! There is plenty of the “flu” season left.

Lilly will be selling insulin in 3ml vials. Presently it is sold in 10 ml vials. I expect that the price of insulin just went up (per unit) as the packaging isn’t cheap.

New Nicorette ad says that quitting can be made less sucky. While I lament the wounds to the English language… it’s just so crazy it might work.

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