The CDC has a bunch of flash programs to teach girls how to keep their bones strong....
There is a worry that excess dieting will lead to widespread osteoporosis in the future...
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Transhuman utopia
Imagine that in the year 2100 the world has become a radically different place. The severely disabled, once totally isolated, communicate telepathically to their computers and other people over special brain implants. Others use the same devices to play CD-quality music in their heads, recall numbers 20 digits long, and relive good feelings from a beach vacation or a hot bath. Health supplements guarantee not only high IQs and low anxiety levels, but also profound spiritual experiences and increased compassion for all living things. Of course, these changes are provided to rich and poor alike -- at least since the outdated nation-state system gave way to a world government led by democratic socialists.
Saruman call your office..a new power is arising...
Saruman call your office..a new power is arising...
Third world anesthesia
A doc has invented an easy to use anesthesia machine....
well, we mainly used local anesthesia or spinal anesthesia...(did you know you can do a Caesarian section under local anesthesia? )
In one hospital, we had a nurse anesthetist, which helped, and the above machine could be used.
But in another hospital, we had only a few nurses. So we used a ketamine drip...ketamine is known for being a club drug, or as an animal tranquillizer. But originally it was made for humans. The advantage is that it does not lower blood pressure or cause a lot of respiratory depression...but it can cause terrible nightmares in humans. The trick is to combine it with a dose of valium at the end of surgery, so they don't remember the nightmares.
We didn't have a trained nurse, so when we did surgery, we had a drip (IV) of ketamine...we had the floor scrubber change the dosage. If the person started moving, we increased the rate. If the breathing went too slow, or the blood started going dark, we stopped it for a few minutes.
One time, shortly after we increased it, we needed an instrument, and the floor scrubber went out to fetch it.. and the person almost stopped breathing. Since I was the second surgeon, I broke scrub (i.e. left the sterile part of the surgery) and stopped the IV, and bagged him (gave him oxygen with a bag) until he breathed on his own.
It was the only "complication" of ketamine during my eight months at that hospital...
well, we mainly used local anesthesia or spinal anesthesia...(did you know you can do a Caesarian section under local anesthesia? )
In one hospital, we had a nurse anesthetist, which helped, and the above machine could be used.
But in another hospital, we had only a few nurses. So we used a ketamine drip...ketamine is known for being a club drug, or as an animal tranquillizer. But originally it was made for humans. The advantage is that it does not lower blood pressure or cause a lot of respiratory depression...but it can cause terrible nightmares in humans. The trick is to combine it with a dose of valium at the end of surgery, so they don't remember the nightmares.
We didn't have a trained nurse, so when we did surgery, we had a drip (IV) of ketamine...we had the floor scrubber change the dosage. If the person started moving, we increased the rate. If the breathing went too slow, or the blood started going dark, we stopped it for a few minutes.
One time, shortly after we increased it, we needed an instrument, and the floor scrubber went out to fetch it.. and the person almost stopped breathing. Since I was the second surgeon, I broke scrub (i.e. left the sterile part of the surgery) and stopped the IV, and bagged him (gave him oxygen with a bag) until he breathed on his own.
It was the only "complication" of ketamine during my eight months at that hospital...
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Milblog alert
Michael Yon blasts the lazy reporting of the MSM...
To get true news, you have to read the Milblogs, not the MSM...
When it bleeds, it leads...let's see. Southern Thailand is having an exodus of non Muslims...a big bomb in Indonesia, Philippine communists blasted an electric wire so one town is without electricity...Pakistan had a recent bombing too...and the West Bank...
What's missing?
Well, Dafur, Zimbabwe, and THIS...
I'm a bit pissed because I was reading a history professor's blog, and he said that the "insurgents" wouldn't give up until the US soldiers left, implying that they needed to leave asap...
Ah, but how many massacres do you need until you know that allowing thugs who murder innocent women and children to take over the government leads to...innocent people being killed? Whether this is the execution of thousands of Iranian students, the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese boat people, the fifty million killed in China, the million killed in Cambodia, or the starvation in Zimbabwe, history shows that giving into murderers leads only to more murder...
However, it no longer rates to get on the front page of the NYT...
To get true news, you have to read the Milblogs, not the MSM...
When it bleeds, it leads...let's see. Southern Thailand is having an exodus of non Muslims...a big bomb in Indonesia, Philippine communists blasted an electric wire so one town is without electricity...Pakistan had a recent bombing too...and the West Bank...
What's missing?
Well, Dafur, Zimbabwe, and THIS...
I'm a bit pissed because I was reading a history professor's blog, and he said that the "insurgents" wouldn't give up until the US soldiers left, implying that they needed to leave asap...
Ah, but how many massacres do you need until you know that allowing thugs who murder innocent women and children to take over the government leads to...innocent people being killed? Whether this is the execution of thousands of Iranian students, the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese boat people, the fifty million killed in China, the million killed in Cambodia, or the starvation in Zimbabwe, history shows that giving into murderers leads only to more murder...
However, it no longer rates to get on the front page of the NYT...
Tape babies
The Storker Project is a species propagation movement by STORKER seeking to incite select individuals from the public at large, perhaps you. If while passsing by one you feel strange sensations in your nipples or fingertips, adopt the infant, breast feed, and give it plenty of pTLC. It will gradually mature to a full size Tape Man or Woman to co-habitate with you and eventually take you to the Glazed Paradise (or possibly oust you from your home).
Saturday, May 28, 2005
If you outlaw pointy knives...
only criminals will be able to carve a turkey...
BEEB link here...
Awhile back I pointed out that the BMJ had a former sports editor as their new editor...I don't know if that's still true, but when one reads reports such as this, one truely wonders about their common sense...even the New England Journal of medicine would not go this far...
Sometimes the nanny state is just too much...
On the other hand, Filippinos can murder quite well with a lowly bolo...there are stories about Filippino peasants vs Japanese soldiers in WWII (or against US marines in the 1900 war of independence) that will curl your hair...
BEEB link here...
Awhile back I pointed out that the BMJ had a former sports editor as their new editor...I don't know if that's still true, but when one reads reports such as this, one truely wonders about their common sense...even the New England Journal of medicine would not go this far...
Sometimes the nanny state is just too much...
On the other hand, Filippinos can murder quite well with a lowly bolo...there are stories about Filippino peasants vs Japanese soldiers in WWII (or against US marines in the 1900 war of independence) that will curl your hair...
How late is late?
According to THIS survey in the UK, late is ten minutes and 17 seconds....
Heck, in the Philippines, that would mean you'd be twenty minutes early....
Heck, in the Philippines, that would mean you'd be twenty minutes early....
Calling Bill O'Reilly
Protesting winemakers in southwestern France set fire to train cars, pelted them with rocks and blocked rail traffic on their way home from demonstrations Thursday, authorities said........France’s vintners have for years suffered a steady erosion of their livelihoods by falling demand at home and the growing popularity of Australian and American wines abroad
yup...I'm sure rioting and destroying cars will make your wines more popular...not.
yup...I'm sure rioting and destroying cars will make your wines more popular...not.
Friday, May 27, 2005
shopping trip
A couple months ago, my stepdaughter Robin sent us some 100% cotton cloth to make dresses. I used one bolt of cotton poplin to make a blouse/pants and housedress. ( I can sew well enough to do house stuff, but not well enough for "good" clothes. I can't fit perfectly, and the patterns don't always match, for example.)
So today we went to the tailor.
Lolo wants one bright print made into a Hawaiian style shirt. He has several of these (one yuppie catalogue sells them for a very high price, and he used to wear them to Church in Oklahoma! A Pinoy among the cowboys and Indians).
Joy needs dresses, but the woman's dressmaker was closed this morning, so we will have to go later.
We can buy ready made clothes, but they are often polyester blend and very expensive...for example, I pain $10 US for a simple tee shirt that would cost about the same in Walmart...and since few Filippinas are size 20, I usually make or have my clothes made.
Since the woman's dressmaker was closed, I asked if we could buy me some sandals. I have several pairs of shoes, but my only sandals are my Birkenstocks...UGLY but comfortable when one has arthritis...alas, I got them wet in the last thunderstorm, so I requested a local pair to wear around.
Instead of going to the big market in town, we went to the local sandal shop, where they make the sandals.
I bought two pair for about $4 US. They would cost double that in the local market. So now I not only have a rubber sandal for rain, and a nice attractive blue sandal for church...
Manolo's influence, I guess...
I don't have many good photos of town, but the one posted below is an example of some of the local shops.
So today we went to the tailor.
Lolo wants one bright print made into a Hawaiian style shirt. He has several of these (one yuppie catalogue sells them for a very high price, and he used to wear them to Church in Oklahoma! A Pinoy among the cowboys and Indians).
Joy needs dresses, but the woman's dressmaker was closed this morning, so we will have to go later.
We can buy ready made clothes, but they are often polyester blend and very expensive...for example, I pain $10 US for a simple tee shirt that would cost about the same in Walmart...and since few Filippinas are size 20, I usually make or have my clothes made.
Since the woman's dressmaker was closed, I asked if we could buy me some sandals. I have several pairs of shoes, but my only sandals are my Birkenstocks...UGLY but comfortable when one has arthritis...alas, I got them wet in the last thunderstorm, so I requested a local pair to wear around.
Instead of going to the big market in town, we went to the local sandal shop, where they make the sandals.
I bought two pair for about $4 US. They would cost double that in the local market. So now I not only have a rubber sandal for rain, and a nice attractive blue sandal for church...
Manolo's influence, I guess...
I don't have many good photos of town, but the one posted below is an example of some of the local shops.
Prayer request
One of my friends' husband is in the SanDiego VA hospital with a brain tumor. Prayers are requested...even if you don't believe, you can say "to whom it may concern"...
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
I am yellow...
#FFFF00 |
Your dominant hues are red and green, so you're definately not afraid to get in and stir things up. You have no time for most people's concerns, you'd rather analyze with your head than be held back by some random "gut feeling". Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation. |
Another adult stem cell use
Dr. Habib in London is injecting adult stem cells to treat end stage liver disease....
Another exciting experiment for the press to ignore, since it did not require killing embryos....
Another exciting experiment for the press to ignore, since it did not require killing embryos....
Monday, May 23, 2005
New commercial
boingboing has a link to a Japanese toilet commercial...
Hey, Luke, let me know what the song means...
Cultural note: Traditional Japanese toilets are holes in the ground...even at their modern airports, you have to check the label on the door....
Hey, Luke, let me know what the song means...
Cultural note: Traditional Japanese toilets are holes in the ground...even at their modern airports, you have to check the label on the door....
The ten plagues part III
Manolo's report on the Eurosvision song contest includes this comment:
…Red Hot Granny and the Chili Peppers!
…Red Hot Granny and the Chili Peppers!
Elves live forever
Right now I'm reading a book I brought with me...it's an ethics report on how drugs and biotechnology is changing life...the report is from the President's council on ethics, and probably written by Leon Kass, since it has the same style and delicate sociological thinking that reminds me of what Kass has written in other books...
I bring this up because we are reading of human cloning.
LINK
Of course, as I noted in previous posts, the dirty little secret is that if you clone, or use the few stem cells from an embryo, you don't have many cells, so you have to grow them...and if you grow too many generations, they have a tendency toward turning cancerous; adult stem cells, since the numbers obtained are higher, don't have to be grown as much and have not shows this problem as much
.
Second problem no one talks about is the "sorcerer's apprentice" problem: How do you turn them off? Tranplants to parkinson's patients using embryo brain cells ended up overgrowing...
Then you have THIS...
Placing the mind on a computer? Sounds like Startrek...but is the mind the soul? (There is an old SciFi novel where this was done, and the reborn person was soulless...on the other hand, in Cordwainer Smith's story the dead lady of Clown town, the robot had no soul but had the compassion and personality of the dead lady)....
When cloning etc. is discussed, it is in the language of the modern Holy Grail...if you oppose it, you are evil, because you are keeping sick people from getting well...which is nonsense, of course, because those saying this rarely bring up SUCESSFUL experiments with adult stem cells...
The question that needs to be publically discussed is what Kass' book attempts to do: when we experiment blithely with early human life, does it harden our world against the vulnerable? And what changes will we cause by our search for perfection and immortality? Already those birthing children with Down's syndrome meet with nasty questions why their children were not aborted...and one suspects the next step will be worse...one mother of a retarded child noted of some of her child's doctors: "They are the type of doctor who see my beloved autistic child, and can see only a potential organ donor"...
Science Fiction discusses this; Cordwainer Smith, with his immortal men and under people (half human half animal slaves) discusses this in a serious way...as does the more famous "Brave New World".
And the background of Tolkien's worlds is, of course, the revolt against limitations and change and mortality by both men and elves. The Ring in LOTR is not power, nor addiction: It is the promise of eternal life....and as Tolkien has said, the technology of a kindly Saruman with the Ring would be "more humane" but ultimately more dangerous to what is truly human than the obvious evil of Sauron...
our shiny promise of immortality might not be as wonderful in the long run as it seems....
I bring this up because we are reading of human cloning.
LINK
Of course, as I noted in previous posts, the dirty little secret is that if you clone, or use the few stem cells from an embryo, you don't have many cells, so you have to grow them...and if you grow too many generations, they have a tendency toward turning cancerous; adult stem cells, since the numbers obtained are higher, don't have to be grown as much and have not shows this problem as much
.
Second problem no one talks about is the "sorcerer's apprentice" problem: How do you turn them off? Tranplants to parkinson's patients using embryo brain cells ended up overgrowing...
Then you have THIS...
Placing the mind on a computer? Sounds like Startrek...but is the mind the soul? (There is an old SciFi novel where this was done, and the reborn person was soulless...on the other hand, in Cordwainer Smith's story the dead lady of Clown town, the robot had no soul but had the compassion and personality of the dead lady)....
When cloning etc. is discussed, it is in the language of the modern Holy Grail...if you oppose it, you are evil, because you are keeping sick people from getting well...which is nonsense, of course, because those saying this rarely bring up SUCESSFUL experiments with adult stem cells...
The question that needs to be publically discussed is what Kass' book attempts to do: when we experiment blithely with early human life, does it harden our world against the vulnerable? And what changes will we cause by our search for perfection and immortality? Already those birthing children with Down's syndrome meet with nasty questions why their children were not aborted...and one suspects the next step will be worse...one mother of a retarded child noted of some of her child's doctors: "They are the type of doctor who see my beloved autistic child, and can see only a potential organ donor"...
Science Fiction discusses this; Cordwainer Smith, with his immortal men and under people (half human half animal slaves) discusses this in a serious way...as does the more famous "Brave New World".
And the background of Tolkien's worlds is, of course, the revolt against limitations and change and mortality by both men and elves. The Ring in LOTR is not power, nor addiction: It is the promise of eternal life....and as Tolkien has said, the technology of a kindly Saruman with the Ring would be "more humane" but ultimately more dangerous to what is truly human than the obvious evil of Sauron...
our shiny promise of immortality might not be as wonderful in the long run as it seems....
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Gatas /milk
We are only 60 miles from Manila, but about 20 years behind the times from there...so I will tell you a story about the culture gap.
About ten years ago, my husband had a stroke and we were living here together while he recovered.
One of his friends from the states was visiting family Manila had heard he was sick and came up to visit.
I offered them refreshments after their long trip...we had coffee, tea, and coca cola/soft drinks.
Oh, coffee, the wife said.
So I boiled the water and put in the Nescafe instant, gave her the sugar bowl and brought out the milk from the refrigerator.
The milk had a thick layer of cream on it, and she looked at it aghast...what type of milk is that? she asked (cows milk is usually tinned and imported, or one uses Coffeemate).
Oh, it's local milk from waterbuffalo, I replied naively.
She turned green and asked: Could I have softdrink?
They are starting a dairy industry here (since Brahman cows thrive in India, one would think that this would be a good business...however, although the business is starting here, much of the milk still is imported from New Zealand.
But our cook goes to the market each morning and buys a plastic bag (!) filled with water buffalo milk...comes home and boils it for our consumption.
It's sweet and higher in cream than cows milk...
It's a bit expensive, and not much cheaper than the UV preserved milk in cartons we can buy...
But supporting the local industry is important, and it tastes better.
About ten years ago, my husband had a stroke and we were living here together while he recovered.
One of his friends from the states was visiting family Manila had heard he was sick and came up to visit.
I offered them refreshments after their long trip...we had coffee, tea, and coca cola/soft drinks.
Oh, coffee, the wife said.
So I boiled the water and put in the Nescafe instant, gave her the sugar bowl and brought out the milk from the refrigerator.
The milk had a thick layer of cream on it, and she looked at it aghast...what type of milk is that? she asked (cows milk is usually tinned and imported, or one uses Coffeemate).
Oh, it's local milk from waterbuffalo, I replied naively.
She turned green and asked: Could I have softdrink?
They are starting a dairy industry here (since Brahman cows thrive in India, one would think that this would be a good business...however, although the business is starting here, much of the milk still is imported from New Zealand.
But our cook goes to the market each morning and buys a plastic bag (!) filled with water buffalo milk...comes home and boils it for our consumption.
It's sweet and higher in cream than cows milk...
It's a bit expensive, and not much cheaper than the UV preserved milk in cartons we can buy...
But supporting the local industry is important, and it tastes better.
Changes in our town
One of the things living up country from Manila is that I see the changes, good and bad, from globalization.
As I said earlier, one economic problem is that much that could be produced locally is imported.
Our chicken farm doesn't make a profit because of cheap chicken imports from Thailand and Viet Nam...
And the local clothing is too often imported from China. My clothes are mainly LandsEnd which I brought with me (I mainly wore that type of clothes at work). Since local clothing is often poorer quality, and polyester blend (i.e. hotter to wear) I prefer what I brought.
Of course, it's not in fashion, but then since I am quite a bit larger and fatter than the local petit style, I figure it's okay.
Around the house I mainly wear what the locals wear: Tee shirt and shorts, or slacks. Sometimes I wear a housedress in the house.
When I first came, the street was gravel, and there were many vacant lots. Every morning, a local waterbuffalo would graze in these vacant lots. Now the street is paved.
We have a clean grocery store a block away...but we also have the open air markets two blocks away. I mainly shop there to get supplies to sew my housedresses.
Similarly, there is a Jolibee nearby (the local McDonalds) but also fast food open stand like one sees in the US at construciton sites or fairs. And also local vendors with carts.
At the side of the main road, they sell produce of all sorts. When we travel, we often buy there. And many houses have small shops attached: We sell gormet white rice and gormet brown rice from our house and at trade fairs, and eventually hope to get into supermarkets...
The up and coming middle class is now into health consciousness, and we are pushing a modified brown rice that has fiber and vitamins, but is not so rough as the traditional brown rice. Gilded grain is our brand, and we have local farmers produce the various rices for us...
So is globalization good or bad? Well, depends. We have bought back some of the land from our former tenants who got the land via land reform...but with the increase in income, their kids now have some education, and work in Manila or as overseas workers...they don't want the "romantic" work bending over 12 hours a day in the rice paddies...
But much is lost: community life, family adhesiveness, and the joy of being close to nature.
On the other hand, no back pain, you aren't "old" at 40, and you can relax and watch tv every night.
Samwise Gamgee, call your office.
As I said earlier, one economic problem is that much that could be produced locally is imported.
Our chicken farm doesn't make a profit because of cheap chicken imports from Thailand and Viet Nam...
And the local clothing is too often imported from China. My clothes are mainly LandsEnd which I brought with me (I mainly wore that type of clothes at work). Since local clothing is often poorer quality, and polyester blend (i.e. hotter to wear) I prefer what I brought.
Of course, it's not in fashion, but then since I am quite a bit larger and fatter than the local petit style, I figure it's okay.
Around the house I mainly wear what the locals wear: Tee shirt and shorts, or slacks. Sometimes I wear a housedress in the house.
When I first came, the street was gravel, and there were many vacant lots. Every morning, a local waterbuffalo would graze in these vacant lots. Now the street is paved.
We have a clean grocery store a block away...but we also have the open air markets two blocks away. I mainly shop there to get supplies to sew my housedresses.
Similarly, there is a Jolibee nearby (the local McDonalds) but also fast food open stand like one sees in the US at construciton sites or fairs. And also local vendors with carts.
At the side of the main road, they sell produce of all sorts. When we travel, we often buy there. And many houses have small shops attached: We sell gormet white rice and gormet brown rice from our house and at trade fairs, and eventually hope to get into supermarkets...
The up and coming middle class is now into health consciousness, and we are pushing a modified brown rice that has fiber and vitamins, but is not so rough as the traditional brown rice. Gilded grain is our brand, and we have local farmers produce the various rices for us...
So is globalization good or bad? Well, depends. We have bought back some of the land from our former tenants who got the land via land reform...but with the increase in income, their kids now have some education, and work in Manila or as overseas workers...they don't want the "romantic" work bending over 12 hours a day in the rice paddies...
But much is lost: community life, family adhesiveness, and the joy of being close to nature.
On the other hand, no back pain, you aren't "old" at 40, and you can relax and watch tv every night.
Samwise Gamgee, call your office.
EVEN CAVEMEN WENT SHOPPING
LINK here...and click photo of museum
Or BBC LINK HERE
Fake prehistoric rock art of a caveman with a shopping trolley has been hung on the walls of the British Museum.
Or BBC LINK HERE
Cave art hoax hits British Museum
 The British Museum said the rock was "in keeping with the other exhibits" |
Friday, May 20, 2005
Troll alert
All your base are belong to us
For your amusement, again the heads up from the nutty right wingers at The Corner
Aspirin can harm elderly
Another press report telling the public what doctors have known for years: an aspirin a day can cause stomach ulcers to bleed...
Heck, this is why we switched to baby aspirin years ago..but one baby aspirin is not enough to thin the blood properly, so now we have them take two...
All together now: EVERYTHING HAS SIDE EFFECTS
Wait till the press discovers Motrin causes 6000 cases of renal failure a year, and also many bleeding ulcers, and increases heart failure...
Heck, this is why we switched to baby aspirin years ago..but one baby aspirin is not enough to thin the blood properly, so now we have them take two...
All together now: EVERYTHING HAS SIDE EFFECTS
Wait till the press discovers Motrin causes 6000 cases of renal failure a year, and also many bleeding ulcers, and increases heart failure...
New medical treatment
Put your dog to work...save a leg.
Sudek's atrophy in the USA is called reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a problem after an injury that is hard to treat and often not properly diagnosed....Link here...
another LINK
Many of these people get addicted to pain medication, although physical therapy and nerve blocks often help...alas, too often we GP's don't recognize what is causing the pain...and so they get labled as drug abusers...
Sudek's atrophy in the USA is called reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a problem after an injury that is hard to treat and often not properly diagnosed....Link here...
another LINK
Many of these people get addicted to pain medication, although physical therapy and nerve blocks often help...alas, too often we GP's don't recognize what is causing the pain...and so they get labled as drug abusers...
Dufus contest
Manolo has a report on the big European song contest...
Don't spill your coffee laughing...
Don't spill your coffee laughing...
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Toys for defense
The Army has developed fancy robots to examine roadside debris in Iraq to see if they are IED's (bombs) or just rubbish. But these robots are expensive, and convoys have to wait for specialists to bring them to the suspected device.
So one soldier uses toy trucks to do an exam...if the toy truck can push over the rubbish, it's probably not a bomb. If the rubbish is heavier than expected, they call backup for the expensive robot and bomb disposal...
The article jokes that, instead of buying them at Radioshack for 60 bucks, someone should put a few fancy bells and whistles on them and sell them to the Defense department for 1000 dollars a piece.
Sound ok to me.
So one soldier uses toy trucks to do an exam...if the toy truck can push over the rubbish, it's probably not a bomb. If the rubbish is heavier than expected, they call backup for the expensive robot and bomb disposal...
The article jokes that, instead of buying them at Radioshack for 60 bucks, someone should put a few fancy bells and whistles on them and sell them to the Defense department for 1000 dollars a piece.
Sound ok to me.
Rectal cancer vs colon cancer
This article discusses why sigmoidoscopies miss many colon cancers, especially in women.
What I haven't found discussed much is the changing picture of colon cancer.
When I was in medical school in the 1960's, 80 percent of the colon cancers were in the last 20 inches of the colon, and 30 percent could be felt on a simple rectal examination...so we all learned to do sigmoidoscopies..
Back then, we used the old rigid sigmoidoscope, which was a 18inch tube about the size of a broom..ouch. The idea back then was to catch these early cancers. Some preventive medicine programs even screened everyone (mostly executive) every five years...
But then a funny thing happened. The American diet changed.
Dr. Burkett's observation that Africans with high fiber diets didn't get colon cancer or diverticulosis lead to the fiber craze... metamucil, here we come.
And gradually, we started seeing less rectal cancer and more colon cancer...
Medically this was good--the surgery was easier, and fewer required permanent colostomies (there are technical reasons for this but I'll spare you the details).
But it also meant that we now had to screen differently.
Colonoscopies, which use a flexible tube about a yard long, require much more skill than the simple sigmoidoscope, so need a specialist-- usually a doctor trained in internal (adult) medicine and gastroenterology (disease of the stomach and bowel)...or a surgeon.
As the article notes, if we were to screen everyone every 10 years, we would need 30 000 more docs to do just this....and even if we trained non doctors (such as specialized nurses or physician assistants) it would cost billions.
Another proposal is to do a single colonoscope at age 60...most colon cancers are over that age, and if you don't have precancerous polyps, you don't need another screen. However, colon cancer sometimes occurs in younger people...(Katie Couric's husband, for example)...so it misses the most tragic cases...
So the answer? Well, maybe a blood test. We thought the CEA test would do it, but alas it's not good enough.
We could screen those with symptoms. But most people have merely irritable colon..most colon cancer have no early symptoms, and by the time they have bleeding or symptoms the cancer is big.
So we are back to doing stool for occult blood. We send home cardboard packs and tell people: Place BM on two areas of the cardboard, three different days. No aspirin (causes blood). This picks up most, but not all of cancers. It also picks up precancerous polyps, which can be removed by colonoscopy. But it also picks up bleeding from the stomach (from aspirin, motrin, alcohol) and from hemorrhoids. So you end up doing a lot of unneeded colonoscopes.
Alternative is a sigmoidoscopy and a barium enema... which is what we did in the good old days and is still a good test. But the dirty little secret is that barium enema xrays are very unpleasant: I joke with my patients that when I have a patient I can't stand, I would send them for this test, and never see them again because they'd be mad at me for ordering the test. Colonoscopies are usually done with some anesthesia (enough to make you half asleep and pain free), so are much less painful...
What is the answer? Who knows...
Myself, I just do stool for occult blood every year.
What I haven't found discussed much is the changing picture of colon cancer.
When I was in medical school in the 1960's, 80 percent of the colon cancers were in the last 20 inches of the colon, and 30 percent could be felt on a simple rectal examination...so we all learned to do sigmoidoscopies..
Back then, we used the old rigid sigmoidoscope, which was a 18inch tube about the size of a broom..ouch. The idea back then was to catch these early cancers. Some preventive medicine programs even screened everyone (mostly executive) every five years...
But then a funny thing happened. The American diet changed.
Dr. Burkett's observation that Africans with high fiber diets didn't get colon cancer or diverticulosis lead to the fiber craze... metamucil, here we come.
And gradually, we started seeing less rectal cancer and more colon cancer...
Medically this was good--the surgery was easier, and fewer required permanent colostomies (there are technical reasons for this but I'll spare you the details).
But it also meant that we now had to screen differently.
Colonoscopies, which use a flexible tube about a yard long, require much more skill than the simple sigmoidoscope, so need a specialist-- usually a doctor trained in internal (adult) medicine and gastroenterology (disease of the stomach and bowel)...or a surgeon.
As the article notes, if we were to screen everyone every 10 years, we would need 30 000 more docs to do just this....and even if we trained non doctors (such as specialized nurses or physician assistants) it would cost billions.
Another proposal is to do a single colonoscope at age 60...most colon cancers are over that age, and if you don't have precancerous polyps, you don't need another screen. However, colon cancer sometimes occurs in younger people...(Katie Couric's husband, for example)...so it misses the most tragic cases...
So the answer? Well, maybe a blood test. We thought the CEA test would do it, but alas it's not good enough.
We could screen those with symptoms. But most people have merely irritable colon..most colon cancer have no early symptoms, and by the time they have bleeding or symptoms the cancer is big.
So we are back to doing stool for occult blood. We send home cardboard packs and tell people: Place BM on two areas of the cardboard, three different days. No aspirin (causes blood). This picks up most, but not all of cancers. It also picks up precancerous polyps, which can be removed by colonoscopy. But it also picks up bleeding from the stomach (from aspirin, motrin, alcohol) and from hemorrhoids. So you end up doing a lot of unneeded colonoscopes.
Alternative is a sigmoidoscopy and a barium enema... which is what we did in the good old days and is still a good test. But the dirty little secret is that barium enema xrays are very unpleasant: I joke with my patients that when I have a patient I can't stand, I would send them for this test, and never see them again because they'd be mad at me for ordering the test. Colonoscopies are usually done with some anesthesia (enough to make you half asleep and pain free), so are much less painful...
What is the answer? Who knows...
Myself, I just do stool for occult blood every year.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Water purification
A few months ago, I posted a link with a CSMonitor article on purifying water in the third world.
Here is a link to a fairly cheap method that sounds interesting...and has a pdf file to download on how to make one...
OH: This and the bubble house links are via boingboing
Here is a link to a fairly cheap method that sounds interesting...and has a pdf file to download on how to make one...
OH: This and the bubble house links are via boingboing
It's a zit...it's The Blob...it's a bubble house
nspired by Finnish architect Antti Lovag (see his own Palais Bulles) in the mid 70's, the Bubble House with its an indoor river, bubble kernel and cactus garden is for sale.
![HAFR00204B[2].jpg](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uQXQvWSQmZG6nlfIJtBeCkve1-Es9XKDRXcEcNWmaytL-Y6liopkuwsIPFpDTmJn6puzybmgdVe3xY-09Amkd6bpssWv5OPDLRYwvJFmWyfjygB2tCq3S-6q1nBCIdH_nk=s0-d)
Stem cells for sluggish hearts
According to a news report, they will use ADULT stem cells to regrow heart muscle for those whose hearts are very badly damaged.
Dr. Patel’s team will harvest bone marrow from the patient’s hipbone, and the cells believed to have the greatest therapeutic benefit, CD34+ cells, will be isolated. About three hours later, once the VAD has been implanted and connected to the heart’s main pumping chamber, the ventricle, the cells, together with a small amount of the patient’s blood plasma, will be injected into about 25 to 30 sites of the diseased heart in a process taking no more than five minutes. Depending on their weight, each patient will receive between 25 and 45 million stem cells.
Dr. Patel’s team will harvest bone marrow from the patient’s hipbone, and the cells believed to have the greatest therapeutic benefit, CD34+ cells, will be isolated. About three hours later, once the VAD has been implanted and connected to the heart’s main pumping chamber, the ventricle, the cells, together with a small amount of the patient’s blood plasma, will be injected into about 25 to 30 sites of the diseased heart in a process taking no more than five minutes. Depending on their weight, each patient will receive between 25 and 45 million stem cells.
Same old same old
The old Subic Bay naval base is now a duty free zone, aka shopping center.
But the road is often crowded. Who wants to sit in a traffic jam for three hours to go there? So they are making a road... but a local bureaucrat says: NO you need a permit.
The irony is that the huge amount of paperwork is one reason that businesses have high overhead costs...(one suspects a bribe would have expidated the road building, but I can't confirm that, since I know nothing about details)...
the second irony is that illegal and unregulated business goes on all the time...
But the road is often crowded. Who wants to sit in a traffic jam for three hours to go there? So they are making a road... but a local bureaucrat says: NO you need a permit.
The irony is that the huge amount of paperwork is one reason that businesses have high overhead costs...(one suspects a bribe would have expidated the road building, but I can't confirm that, since I know nothing about details)...
the second irony is that illegal and unregulated business goes on all the time...
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Merchandising...merchandising...the real reason for movies
Darth Vader pop tarts...
Or, if you prefer shot robots, the R2D2 Snack Bowl...
Mel Brooks, call your office
Or, if you prefer shot robots, the R2D2 Snack Bowl...
Mel Brooks, call your office
Monday, May 16, 2005
How sinful are you?
Your Deadly Sins |
Greed: 40% |
Sloth: 40% |
Pride: 20% |
Envy: 0% |
Gluttony: 0% |
Lust: 0% |
Wrath: 0% |
Chance You'll Go to Hell: 14% |
You'll die in a castle, surrounded by servants. |
Starwars gangsta rap
seven more days...seven more days....
The advantage of being in the Philippines is that the pirated version will be selling on the street within a day of the film opening in Manila...
The advantage of being in the Philippines is that the pirated version will be selling on the street within a day of the film opening in Manila...
Newsweek lied, people died
Blogs all over Newsweek's gaffe that caused riots...
As LGF notes, the Alquada manual teaches that if retained, to claim all sorts of torture...so Newsweek and other media sources should take any claims like this with a grain of salt.
And Blogfather muses that common sense would make them realize it would be impossible to flush such a large book...(heck, it's even hard to flush regular newspaper pages, which is why third world countries have trash cans next to toilets, for the newspaper that is used in place of Charmin)..
But Austin Bay has the best analysis here....
The sin of greed always seems to creep into every scandal and it’s certainly lurking in this tragic incident.
Newsweek wants market share, and a scoop grabs readers. But profit generated by a frantic “me first” quest isn’t the only motive. The “Vietnam-Watergate” motive’s also in play.
That’s a tired and dirty game but for three decades it’s been a successful ploy for the New York-Washington-LA media axis. It’s rules are simple. Presume the government is lying– always make that presumption, particularly when the president is a Republican. Presume the worst about the US military– always make that presumption, even when the president is a Democrat. Add multi-cultural icing– the complaints and allegations of “Third World victims” are given revered status, the statements of US and US-allied nations met with cynical doubt and arrogant contempt.
And in a time of war, one wonders about a newspaper that hands the enemy a propaganda bonanza...especially when the newspapers merely shrugged (and barely reported) when one of Christianity's holiest shrines was desecrated by Muslim extremists...remember that? Probably not....it was barely covered by the secular media who were rightly afraid it might inflame "islamophobia"...
One wonders is 50 years from now, the press' reporting will come off as corrupt as Mr. Duranty's reports from Mother Russia...
Jason Blair, call your office...
As LGF notes, the Alquada manual teaches that if retained, to claim all sorts of torture...so Newsweek and other media sources should take any claims like this with a grain of salt.
And Blogfather muses that common sense would make them realize it would be impossible to flush such a large book...(heck, it's even hard to flush regular newspaper pages, which is why third world countries have trash cans next to toilets, for the newspaper that is used in place of Charmin)..
But Austin Bay has the best analysis here....
The sin of greed always seems to creep into every scandal and it’s certainly lurking in this tragic incident.
Newsweek wants market share, and a scoop grabs readers. But profit generated by a frantic “me first” quest isn’t the only motive. The “Vietnam-Watergate” motive’s also in play.
That’s a tired and dirty game but for three decades it’s been a successful ploy for the New York-Washington-LA media axis. It’s rules are simple. Presume the government is lying– always make that presumption, particularly when the president is a Republican. Presume the worst about the US military– always make that presumption, even when the president is a Democrat. Add multi-cultural icing– the complaints and allegations of “Third World victims” are given revered status, the statements of US and US-allied nations met with cynical doubt and arrogant contempt.
And in a time of war, one wonders about a newspaper that hands the enemy a propaganda bonanza...especially when the newspapers merely shrugged (and barely reported) when one of Christianity's holiest shrines was desecrated by Muslim extremists...remember that? Probably not....it was barely covered by the secular media who were rightly afraid it might inflame "islamophobia"...
One wonders is 50 years from now, the press' reporting will come off as corrupt as Mr. Duranty's reports from Mother Russia...
Jason Blair, call your office...
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Blogopoly
also via boingboing...
However it is mostly about blogging companies rather than bloggers...
However it is mostly about blogging companies rather than bloggers...
My implant is fueled by what?
Via boingboing....
"Since the electron mediator is based on Vitamin K3, which exists in human bodies, it excels in safety and could in the future generate power from blood as an implant-type fuel cell," the group said in a statement.
Most other bio-fuel cells under study use a metal complex, spawning concern about harm if used for implants.
"Since the electron mediator is based on Vitamin K3, which exists in human bodies, it excels in safety and could in the future generate power from blood as an implant-type fuel cell," the group said in a statement.
Most other bio-fuel cells under study use a metal complex, spawning concern about harm if used for implants.
Tornado quiz
My friends report storms in oklahoma, but no twisters yet. So here is a tornado quiz for those who feel nostalgic.
One advantage in the Philippines is that we have terrible thunderstorms, but although we have to worry about floods, volcanoes, typhoons and terrorism, at least I don't have to stand out in the rain looking for funnel clouds.
Dr. Chesbro, call you office...
One advantage in the Philippines is that we have terrible thunderstorms, but although we have to worry about floods, volcanoes, typhoons and terrorism, at least I don't have to stand out in the rain looking for funnel clouds.
Dr. Chesbro, call you office...
Jellyfish take two
A couple days ago I posted about the 100 Filippino police who were doing a terrorism exercize but got stung by jellyfish.
Here is a National Geographic page on jellyfish and their dangerous bites.
Obviously, I have only treated a few cases: We didn't see many jellyfish bites in Oklahoma.
Here is a National Geographic page on jellyfish and their dangerous bites.
Obviously, I have only treated a few cases: We didn't see many jellyfish bites in Oklahoma.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Thursday, May 12, 2005
China vs Philippines
People don't realize that cheap Chinese labour is discouraging the clothing and other industries in the Philippines. Labour there is much cheaper, so as a result, cheap Chinese clothing, dishes etc etc are sold here, while local factories have trouble making profits.
However, Philippinos are famous for their decorations, and we are part of the government's encouraging small hand made articles for export. This allows local school leavers to stay at home to work instead of migrating to Manila or Saudi Arabia, which of course helps families to stick together. The previous photos show a few of our handicrafts. Not sh0wn are the Christmas tree ornaments: They are already bagged up, and yesterday the truck (2 ton) took a truckload to Manila, so only a dozen bags are left in our garage/storage area.
However, Philippinos are famous for their decorations, and we are part of the government's encouraging small hand made articles for export. This allows local school leavers to stay at home to work instead of migrating to Manila or Saudi Arabia, which of course helps families to stick together. The previous photos show a few of our handicrafts. Not sh0wn are the Christmas tree ornaments: They are already bagged up, and yesterday the truck (2 ton) took a truckload to Manila, so only a dozen bags are left in our garage/storage area.
Too many Indians...
Another post saying stupid humans killed the mastadons 12 000 years ago.
Hello: That was about the same time the glaciers melted...maybe it was climate change...
Oh no, if you blamed the climate change 12000 years ago, you couldn't blame Bush today for "climate change" now...
So it's all the Indians fault for wiping out the mastadon and sabre tooth tigers. BAAAD CHIPPEWA....BAAD Dakotas....
One reason I am skeptical is this line:
From a scientific perspective, Pleistocene Park is important because it directly tests the role of large herbivores in creating and maintaining grassland ecosystems, something that can only be surmised but not proven from the paleorecord," he said
Translation: SEND MONEY
And there is a good argument that the huge bison herds and middle western grasslands were established only after the depopulation of the mound building Mississippian culture of the lower midwest...as a result of depopulation (due to climate change before Colombus and smallpox after Colombus) the buffalo multiplied, ate seedling trees (which were not as common due to climate change), and voila, open prarie...
Hello: That was about the same time the glaciers melted...maybe it was climate change...
Oh no, if you blamed the climate change 12000 years ago, you couldn't blame Bush today for "climate change" now...
So it's all the Indians fault for wiping out the mastadon and sabre tooth tigers. BAAAD CHIPPEWA....BAAD Dakotas....
One reason I am skeptical is this line:
From a scientific perspective, Pleistocene Park is important because it directly tests the role of large herbivores in creating and maintaining grassland ecosystems, something that can only be surmised but not proven from the paleorecord," he said
Translation: SEND MONEY
And there is a good argument that the huge bison herds and middle western grasslands were established only after the depopulation of the mound building Mississippian culture of the lower midwest...as a result of depopulation (due to climate change before Colombus and smallpox after Colombus) the buffalo multiplied, ate seedling trees (which were not as common due to climate change), and voila, open prarie...
Maggots
Don't read the article unless you have a strong stomach.
When I was in Africa, we had a patient with cancer of the face (sarcoma of the maxillary sinus) that was huge and fungating...and full of maggots.
We had to put him to sleep to clean them out...
Poor man...we kept him on lots of morphine until his cancer ate into his brain and he died of meningitis about a week later.
Most maggots only eat dead tissue, so sterile maggots are one treatment for severe non healing ulcers. But there are forms that eat and burrow into live tissue.
When I was in Africa, we had a patient with cancer of the face (sarcoma of the maxillary sinus) that was huge and fungating...and full of maggots.
We had to put him to sleep to clean them out...
Poor man...we kept him on lots of morphine until his cancer ate into his brain and he died of meningitis about a week later.
Most maggots only eat dead tissue, so sterile maggots are one treatment for severe non healing ulcers. But there are forms that eat and burrow into live tissue.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Torsade de point and prolonged qt syndrome
This is actually an old problem: Indeed, one of the medications mentioned, cisapride, was taken off the US market years ago.
Torsade de point is a nasty arrhythmia...hard to treat....and can be caused by all sorts of problems...mainly renal failure with high potassium levels.
It was first noted as being a drug related problemwhen Seldane, the first non drowsy anti allergy medicine, was released. It interacted with Erythromycin and killed some people. So seldane was taken off the market too (too bad: it was the only "non drowsy" anti histamine that didn't make me drowsy!).
However, the problem with Haldol and anti psychotics were not as well known. I was aware the death rate on these strong medications was higher than normal, but have never seen a torsade de point, although have had patients on them die sudden death...(rare).
But the problems of the antibiotics Erythromycin and Biaxin are not limited to only this problem.
They also interfere with other drugs. When I worked at the states school for the retarded, I did a study showing that the new antibiotic Biaxin increased the tegretol level in our patients.
We had an epidemic of mycoplasm pneumonia (I had this too) and we knew erythromycin made a lot of our client throw up...not to mention we had to cut the dosage of those on Tegretol.
So we used biaxin. No one threw it up, but even though we cut the dosages of tegretol down in anticipation of interaction, we found biaxin was just as bad as erythromycin.
So I wrote it up and published it...
The bad news is few ordinary docs know tegretol goes to toxic levels with erythromycin...and indeed, sometimes they don't know the person has seizures or might be taking it for tic doloreux.
which is why pharmaciests are so valuable to us ordinary docs.
Torsade de point is a nasty arrhythmia...hard to treat....and can be caused by all sorts of problems...mainly renal failure with high potassium levels.
It was first noted as being a drug related problemwhen Seldane, the first non drowsy anti allergy medicine, was released. It interacted with Erythromycin and killed some people. So seldane was taken off the market too (too bad: it was the only "non drowsy" anti histamine that didn't make me drowsy!).
However, the problem with Haldol and anti psychotics were not as well known. I was aware the death rate on these strong medications was higher than normal, but have never seen a torsade de point, although have had patients on them die sudden death...(rare).
But the problems of the antibiotics Erythromycin and Biaxin are not limited to only this problem.
They also interfere with other drugs. When I worked at the states school for the retarded, I did a study showing that the new antibiotic Biaxin increased the tegretol level in our patients.
We had an epidemic of mycoplasm pneumonia (I had this too) and we knew erythromycin made a lot of our client throw up...not to mention we had to cut the dosage of those on Tegretol.
So we used biaxin. No one threw it up, but even though we cut the dosages of tegretol down in anticipation of interaction, we found biaxin was just as bad as erythromycin.
So I wrote it up and published it...
The bad news is few ordinary docs know tegretol goes to toxic levels with erythromycin...and indeed, sometimes they don't know the person has seizures or might be taking it for tic doloreux.
which is why pharmaciests are so valuable to us ordinary docs.
Nope, no terrorism here, folks
Mayor of StaRosa Laguna gunned down...nope, no terrorism here, folks, just the same old same old i.e. communist rebel groups...probably a personal feud about something...but it will never get in the paper.
Hurry catch the dog (Take two)
dogfight
Well, we finally got our male dog vaccinated.
It took three chases. Every time, he knew something was up, so he would jump over the fence where it is low out front (i.e. a hole for a light) and skiddadle into the narby vacant lots...
Finally, we managed to see him in the new storage room, and we placed a large board over the hole in the fence.
So then, we looked all over...but someone in the gazebo saw him hide under the porch.
Now our "porch" out front is merely a slab of concrete, and the hole there is merely 8 inches high.
But he was cowering and snapping at us from in there.
Etoy finally got a wire snare around his neck, and I had him pull the dog to the side of the hole. I stuck my hand in the side (while the dog was busy snapping at Etoy in the front of the hole) and got him. Luckily, the shot was subcutaneous, not IM...
Now every time the dog sees me, he hides.
Oh well, I guess it's better than being bitten.
And the next time he bites a visitor, we won't be stuck with the bill for rabies shots. (If he bites another visitor, I'll shot the dog, but that's another story).
On the other hand, now everyone knows that if they break in here at night, they might be bitten badly. Since we don't have a gun, and since the handicraft business storage is in the garage, we figure that the storage is safe.
Well, we finally got our male dog vaccinated.
It took three chases. Every time, he knew something was up, so he would jump over the fence where it is low out front (i.e. a hole for a light) and skiddadle into the narby vacant lots...
Finally, we managed to see him in the new storage room, and we placed a large board over the hole in the fence.
So then, we looked all over...but someone in the gazebo saw him hide under the porch.
Now our "porch" out front is merely a slab of concrete, and the hole there is merely 8 inches high.
But he was cowering and snapping at us from in there.
Etoy finally got a wire snare around his neck, and I had him pull the dog to the side of the hole. I stuck my hand in the side (while the dog was busy snapping at Etoy in the front of the hole) and got him. Luckily, the shot was subcutaneous, not IM...
Now every time the dog sees me, he hides.
Oh well, I guess it's better than being bitten.
And the next time he bites a visitor, we won't be stuck with the bill for rabies shots. (If he bites another visitor, I'll shot the dog, but that's another story).
On the other hand, now everyone knows that if they break in here at night, they might be bitten badly. Since we don't have a gun, and since the handicraft business storage is in the garage, we figure that the storage is safe.
Milk, diabetes and lactose intolorance
A couple months ago, there were links of diabetes with drinking milk.
This week they say mild protects against diabetes...
HELLO...
The only people who can physically drink a lot of milk are Indo Europeans...India and western Europe...
As my patients tell me:
American Indians don't drink milk.("it makes my stomach cramp")
Africans don't drink milk ("I only drink milk when it is ripe" i.e. buttermilk)
African Americans don't drink milk ("I only drink a glass when I'm constipated")
In Colombia, yogurt is sold in isolated mountain towns like the one my sons came from , because it's easier to digest...yogurt, of course, was made by Armenians who also can't digest milk...
And Asians don't drink milk.
The reason: Lactose Intolorance.
Now, separate the races (including lots of Tenneseeans, Okies and Kentuckians who have Native American blood) and then redo your study...
This week they say mild protects against diabetes...
HELLO...
The only people who can physically drink a lot of milk are Indo Europeans...India and western Europe...
As my patients tell me:
American Indians don't drink milk.("it makes my stomach cramp")
Africans don't drink milk ("I only drink milk when it is ripe" i.e. buttermilk)
African Americans don't drink milk ("I only drink a glass when I'm constipated")
In Colombia, yogurt is sold in isolated mountain towns like the one my sons came from , because it's easier to digest...yogurt, of course, was made by Armenians who also can't digest milk...
And Asians don't drink milk.
The reason: Lactose Intolorance.
Now, separate the races (including lots of Tenneseeans, Okies and Kentuckians who have Native American blood) and then redo your study...
Monday, May 09, 2005
Rabies take two
Here is the CDC link for rabies...
Even though it was around when I was in Africa, and I've given shots both there and here, I have never seen a case...the disease is often misdiagnosed, which is how some Okies died after being transplanted organs from someone who died of undiagnosed rabies.
It's a nasty disease.
Even though it was around when I was in Africa, and I've given shots both there and here, I have never seen a case...the disease is often misdiagnosed, which is how some Okies died after being transplanted organs from someone who died of undiagnosed rabies.
It's a nasty disease.
Hurry catch the dog
Our male dog bit one of Ruby's friends last week. We sent him to the doctor, where they saw it was superfical and gave him a tetanus shot, and told him to check on the dog's rabies status.
Well, the dog is fine, but never got vaccinated...my step son doesn't believe in vaccinations. (It's a long story).
So now we had to pay out about 70 dollars american so the boy can get a series of anti rabies shots.
We also had to get the vet over here to vaccinate the dogs and cat.
And, of course, the dog that caused all the trouble jumped the fence and stayed away until he saw the vet leave.
What the dog doesn't know is that I can give a subcutaneous shot to a dog...so the vet left the vaccine and we will have to get a couple boys and blankets and ropes and catch the dog tomorrow when he is sleeping...
Dr. Herriott, call your office.
Well, the dog is fine, but never got vaccinated...my step son doesn't believe in vaccinations. (It's a long story).
So now we had to pay out about 70 dollars american so the boy can get a series of anti rabies shots.
We also had to get the vet over here to vaccinate the dogs and cat.
And, of course, the dog that caused all the trouble jumped the fence and stayed away until he saw the vet leave.
What the dog doesn't know is that I can give a subcutaneous shot to a dog...so the vet left the vaccine and we will have to get a couple boys and blankets and ropes and catch the dog tomorrow when he is sleeping...
Dr. Herriott, call your office.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Uh Oh....
The Old Oligarch says we liberal catholics are in big trouble...
Did anyone notice the back of the new papal mitre at the installation mass?
(For the non video game literate, or anyone over 21, here is the reference)
Did anyone notice the back of the new papal mitre at the installation mass?
(For the non video game literate, or anyone over 21, here is the reference)
Hospital terror threat
Hmm...there have been several incidents in the USA (New Jersey, Detroit etc) by middle eastern types dressed neatly as doctors going into hospitals asking to be shown around and asking about information on hospitals.
Now, as the article states, this is not unusual (druggies and thieves are known to do this)...but druggies and thieves are, how do I put it, usually either obvious white trash, or "minorities"...not middle eastern looking and well dressed people...so it caused a heads up to Homeland security.
Hospitals have germs that could be released and would have chemicals, but more likely the object is to find nuclear material...after all, since one alqada cache had smoke detectors collected to get the low grade nuclear material, imagine what you could do with some of the "needle implants" they use for cancer? No, it wouldn't make a regular nuke, but it would make a "dirty bomb"...
But this alert tells us two things:
One: if they are "probing" hospitals, they are probably probing other places, such as nuclear plants and chemical factories, but we haven't heard about it....no attacks yet...does this mean they are incompetent, or have they been thwarted, or does it mean when it comes it will be a biggie?
second: would the government keep it quiet? Well, anyone following the story of that reporter who was on a flight with a bunch of Syrian musicians with out of date visas who were acting very strange last year knows that there are a lot of things going on...on airplanes... but unless you see small news reports, you don't pick up the picture...like last week a "middle eastern" doctor kept hanging around the toilet near the front and wouldn't sit down when asked...and was arrested. False alarm?
And, given the large number of Muslim doctors in the USA, it tells us a third thing: They aren't getting a lot of cooperation from American Muslim immigrants...(leftist activists who convert, or thugs converted in prison are probably much more dangerous than Pakistani or Iranian immigrant doctors).. thank God.
Here in the Philippines, around Easter, there were two bombs and lots of threats but then the police found lots of explosives in an apartment and it's been quiet...no follow up in the news since then...real threat? Who knows...
Luckily, we are far enough away from the big city not to worry...we only worry about volcanoes, monsoons, car accidents, dysentary, food poisoning, and being robbed.
So Robin, tell John it's okay to visit...it's probably safer than visiting Washington DC...
Now, as the article states, this is not unusual (druggies and thieves are known to do this)...but druggies and thieves are, how do I put it, usually either obvious white trash, or "minorities"...not middle eastern looking and well dressed people...so it caused a heads up to Homeland security.
Hospitals have germs that could be released and would have chemicals, but more likely the object is to find nuclear material...after all, since one alqada cache had smoke detectors collected to get the low grade nuclear material, imagine what you could do with some of the "needle implants" they use for cancer? No, it wouldn't make a regular nuke, but it would make a "dirty bomb"...
But this alert tells us two things:
One: if they are "probing" hospitals, they are probably probing other places, such as nuclear plants and chemical factories, but we haven't heard about it....no attacks yet...does this mean they are incompetent, or have they been thwarted, or does it mean when it comes it will be a biggie?
second: would the government keep it quiet? Well, anyone following the story of that reporter who was on a flight with a bunch of Syrian musicians with out of date visas who were acting very strange last year knows that there are a lot of things going on...on airplanes... but unless you see small news reports, you don't pick up the picture...like last week a "middle eastern" doctor kept hanging around the toilet near the front and wouldn't sit down when asked...and was arrested. False alarm?
And, given the large number of Muslim doctors in the USA, it tells us a third thing: They aren't getting a lot of cooperation from American Muslim immigrants...(leftist activists who convert, or thugs converted in prison are probably much more dangerous than Pakistani or Iranian immigrant doctors).. thank God.
Here in the Philippines, around Easter, there were two bombs and lots of threats but then the police found lots of explosives in an apartment and it's been quiet...no follow up in the news since then...real threat? Who knows...
Luckily, we are far enough away from the big city not to worry...we only worry about volcanoes, monsoons, car accidents, dysentary, food poisoning, and being robbed.
So Robin, tell John it's okay to visit...it's probably safer than visiting Washington DC...
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Pocket pets are dangerous
I've treated salmonella cases from pet turtles (which is also making a comeback) but now they are reporting cases from rodents--aka pocket pets because the mice/gerbils etc. can be carried in your pocket....
Hmm....I wonder if airport security knows about this?
Hmm....I wonder if airport security knows about this?
terrorism? What terrorism?
The Manila Bulletin mentioned that the Philippines is the most dangerous country in the world for reporters...more reporters were assasinated here than in Iraq.
And even though we are constantly having politicians, barangay leaders and businessmen kidnapped or killed, not to mention active terrorism in Mindinao, we are way down on the list of countries with the most terrorist incidents...(guess if thugs kill or kidnap you in Iraq, it's "terrorism" but if they do it here, it's just same old same old).
But guess which country led the list of highest number of terrorist incidents? Iraq? NO. Israel? NO.
It was India...but I guess CNN I and the Beeb are too busy doing body counts from the ElRasheed hotel in Baghdad to notice...
Nope, no press bias here...
And even though we are constantly having politicians, barangay leaders and businessmen kidnapped or killed, not to mention active terrorism in Mindinao, we are way down on the list of countries with the most terrorist incidents...(guess if thugs kill or kidnap you in Iraq, it's "terrorism" but if they do it here, it's just same old same old).
But guess which country led the list of highest number of terrorist incidents? Iraq? NO. Israel? NO.
It was India...but I guess CNN I and the Beeb are too busy doing body counts from the ElRasheed hotel in Baghdad to notice...
Nope, no press bias here...
Which Brideshead character are you?
You are Lady Cordelia Flyte. You are loving and
loyal. You're not a sentimental dowdy,
however: you have a lively sense of humor and
keen intellect.
What Brideshead Revisited character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
loyal. You're not a sentimental dowdy,
however: you have a lively sense of humor and
keen intellect.
What Brideshead Revisited character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Well, at least I'm not Sebastian....
Friday, May 06, 2005
comatose fireman awakens
More news on the "drug cocktail" given to the fireman in Buffalo who woke from PVS state.
I suspect they used something like Ritalin, Amantidine, and Prozac, or a variation of these to stimulate the non damaged neurons...but am still waiting for the exact details.
I suspect they used something like Ritalin, Amantidine, and Prozac, or a variation of these to stimulate the non damaged neurons...but am still waiting for the exact details.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
NO NO NO
Don't turn to the dark side....
The starwars trailer is up...but it's taking so long to download I can't watch it...
And the Narnia trailer is being posted this weekend...
The starwars trailer is up...but it's taking so long to download I can't watch it...
And the Narnia trailer is being posted this weekend...
Hygiene report
Via improbable research...
Remember this next time you buy a sandwich waiting for a twelve hour flight...
Remember this next time you buy a sandwich waiting for a twelve hour flight...
Manolo Fashion rule number one
Manolo says, it is the rule of the Manolo, no fashion that requires the changing of the newspapers.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Comatose fireman wakes up
Story all over the news today was about a fireman who woke up...the end of the BEEB story assures us he was not in "vegetative" state like Terry Schiavo...but there is a big question if Schiavo was in a vegetative state since she was able to recognize her parents, and laugh...
The article mentions several other people who woke up...
The one I am most familiar with is Mrs. White Bull, who woke up in an Albuquerque nursing home one Christmas a couple years back, after being comatose for over ten years. The doctors couldn't figure out why, but they "decided" it was the amantidine that they gave her for her influenza, a medicine that also is used for mile Parkinson's disease...
However, some nurses I worked with had another explanation. Ms. White Bear was from local pueblo, and her family held a novena to Blessed Kateri, an Indian woman who is up for sainthood...at the end of the novena, she woke up...
Ah there are more things on heaven and earth than one knows about...
The article mentions several other people who woke up...
The one I am most familiar with is Mrs. White Bull, who woke up in an Albuquerque nursing home one Christmas a couple years back, after being comatose for over ten years. The doctors couldn't figure out why, but they "decided" it was the amantidine that they gave her for her influenza, a medicine that also is used for mile Parkinson's disease...
However, some nurses I worked with had another explanation. Ms. White Bear was from local pueblo, and her family held a novena to Blessed Kateri, an Indian woman who is up for sainthood...at the end of the novena, she woke up...
Ah there are more things on heaven and earth than one knows about...
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
hot hot hot
Not blogging much today.
It was our turn for brownout, so the aircon and electricity went off about 10 am...so we went to th mall.
Actually we had planned to go later this week, but went today instead. The car is airconditioned, an so is the mall.
We went to the Pampanga mall, which is huge and fairly new. Lolo had broken his glasses frame, and had the lenses replaced in a new frame. And we had to get holes drilled into the car to put our filippino license plates--it's a bmw so had holes for German license plates, even though it was manufactured locally.
So we shopped and ate (Filippinos always eat) and came home.
Fred's new glasses make him look ten years younger, like a professor. I will post a photo when I get a chance.
It was our turn for brownout, so the aircon and electricity went off about 10 am...so we went to th mall.
Actually we had planned to go later this week, but went today instead. The car is airconditioned, an so is the mall.
We went to the Pampanga mall, which is huge and fairly new. Lolo had broken his glasses frame, and had the lenses replaced in a new frame. And we had to get holes drilled into the car to put our filippino license plates--it's a bmw so had holes for German license plates, even though it was manufactured locally.
So we shopped and ate (Filippinos always eat) and came home.
Fred's new glasses make him look ten years younger, like a professor. I will post a photo when I get a chance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)