• That’s life

    A member of Cheryl’s side of the family came through surgery better than expected last night (or so I hear, three degrees of separation from the source), and for this we are thankful.

    A coworker of mine was unexpectedly discovered dead in their apartment earlier this week (apparently of natural causes), and for this we are saddened.

    Two younger members of my family woke this morning with smiles, hugs and kisses; with trust in their eyes and love in their hearts, and from this I take great joy.

  • Overheard on the radio

    Actually, Cheryl overheard this on the radio, but she’s pretty reliable. SO SAY I!

    Good news coffee lovers! It seems that coffee ain’t all bad. It doesn’t just cause hypertension anymore! (… nor the occasional facial tick.) It appears that caffeine consumption may also increase a person’s capacity for critical thought… one of the bedrocks of human intelligence. This isn’t just some guy like me; talking out of his posterior region… this is real science: controls, variables… the whole shebang!

    At NPR:
    More Coffee? I Hear You.
    Coffee May Slow Liver Damage from Alcohol Abuse
    Dipstick Caffeine Test for Coffee

    At Dictionary.com:
    shebang

  • Identity left?

    Just before the savior of the American Family took office there was a controversial drug poised to go “over the counter,” with the qualification that a doctor’s consent would be required for a minor to purchase the drug. In other words, an adult could purchase the drug but a minor would need a prescription. Then a new man was picked to head up the FDA, and the work to go forward with the plan (five years in the making) suddenly was put on hold.

    Without mentioning the name of the drug or the controversy surrounding it, you can sort of see that politics probably played a role in the change in policy, but that’s not where I have a problem. Heck, I’m not sure where I stand on the issue – which not coincidentally remains unnamed by this entry. No, where I have a problem is being treated like I’m stupid. The decision was revisited on the radio this morning, and the now former head of the FDA (who was “responsible” for the change in policy – reversing the plan to let the drug go ‘over the counter’) claimed it was necessary to post-pone the plan, in order to flesh out how they would require a prescription for some consumers (minors) and not for everyone else.

    Yeah, that’s a tough one. How do you prove a consumer’s age? Do we require all adults to report to their local office of vital statistics with a blood sample, four witnesses, and a certified copy of their birth certificate (if they were born somewhere else) to get their “over 18” tattoo? Or is there a simpler way, something that the law already requires as proof of age/identity to purchase cigarettes, booze, and Sudafed?

    HOLY EASTMAN-KODAK BATMAN – A DRIVER’S LICENSE! It’s crazy talk, I know… but it just might work.

    **Author’s note: at this time I can not rule out the fact that I may be stupid.