Remorse

With all the shenanigans going on in the world, it’s kid of refreshing to hear of an actual occurrence of remorse. Maybe even stunning. Marc Drier screwed over a lot of folks. But it seems as though he actually understands the impact of his actions.

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Sahel Kazemi Slutster?

Police say McNair’s mistress, distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that he was seeing someone else, shot him four times while he slept, then positioned herself next to her dead lover so that when she put the final bullet through her own brain she would crumple onto his lap. By the time police arrived, her body had fallen to the floor. So what would a 36 year old retired NFL quarterback with a wife of 12 years and 4 kids see in a 20 year old? Boobs. Slutty boobs. That he was willing to throw it all away for those slutty boobs is pretty amazing.

Bye Bye Vicodin?

You may have heard the news about an advisory panel for the US Food & Drug Administration’s recommendation that the maximum dose of acetominophen (Tylenol, etc.) be reduced on store shelves. It’s a head scratcher because of what the unintended consequences might be. The panel voted 24-13 to limit the maximum single dose of acetaminophen to 650 milligrams. The current single dose of Extra Strength Tylenol, for instance, is 1,000 milligrams. The thinking behind the advisory is that 56,000 people go to the emergency room annually for overdosing on acetominophen. About 200 die each year. In order to protect those folks, somehow taking the advised action will limit the hospital trips and death. Um, would it be safe to say that those folks who are stupid enough to OD on acetominophen will still do it? I mean, this action will only mean that dip shit will have to take more pills.

From the same meeting, the panel is preparing will recommend that Vicodin and Percocet be nuked. It’s tough logic to follow. The panel wants to reduce the OTC dosage of acetominophen for consumers, but leave combination products (such as cold medicines that have acetominophen and other medicines combined) available. But it wants to whack pain killers that have acetominophen and and other products (ostensibly, they will let the hydrocodone part of Vicodin be prescribed???) completely nuked. Their thought is that combination prescription drugs are bad (but OTC combos are fine). Let’s be realistic. Pain killers are combined with acetominophen because the synergistic effect of the two makes the pain killer work in a more efficient manner. That’s good. Separating the two will only lead doctors and patients to achieve the same result on their own (at more expense) without reducing the hospital trips from overdose.

More importantly, with fewer effective pain regimens available for OTC and prescription treatment… folks will, wait for it… Go to the doctor more often for more and different pain treatments. The net result being higher health care costs. Makes complete sense to me. So much for this administration’s desire to reduce health care expenses.

Vince Goes Solo (NSFW)

By now you have heard that the ever bombastic pitchman, Billy Mays, has passed away. Seems like it has been a bad week or three if you are a recognized celebrity. Billy was only 50, but his arch nemesis, Vince, of Shamwow! fame, will be the only shill that gets regular air play. So what if Vince took this new-found solo competition to say what he really wanted to say…

—-> Please be careful if you are at work! <—-

Many thanks to Cynical-C for lightening the mood…

Value of Jail Time

How much is a day in jail worth? If you are a wrongly incarcerated man from Houston the answer is about $800. Back in the late 80’s George Rodriguez was tried and convicted for the kidnapping and rape of a Houston woman. That conviction was built on evidence from the Houston Police Department crime lab. It was later determined that Rodriguez’s conviction was the result of false testimony given by a former crime lab manager, James Bolding, and Rodriguez was ordered released from prison by the Court of Criminal Appeals, who also ordered he be given a new trial. The DA decided against doing that.

Rodriguez then sued the city of Houston. A federal jury just awarded him $5,000,000. That works out to about $800 a day.

Paul Simon’s Kodachrome Fear Realized

Don’t blame Mama. She didn’t take the Kodachrome away. But Eastman Kodak has decided to discontinue the product. Hell, there’s only one Kodachrome lab left! I rember… as a wee lad… learning how to use a camera and develop my own film and print my own images. Kodachrome was my first foray into real color photography. Unfortunately, I really cannot remember the last time I used real film.

Radical Islam Would Be Proud

If you have been reading this blog for a bit or have known me for awhile, you probably know that I used to travel quite extensively in my previous incarnation in the corporate world. I usually managed to break the 100,00 mile mark on annual basis in domestic US travel. I understand the need for security in the privately owned, government regulated and controlled world of air travel. Let’s face it: you really do not have to fly, so you might as well get used to some legally mandated restrictions. And yes, some of those restrictions are pretty silly.

For the most part, though, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has ironed out the most ridiculous aspects of their public image and interaction. It’s onerous to not have more than a splash of toiletries in your carry-on, but at least the rules are spelled out. That said, there are still some TSA employees who did not get the message that making it up as you go along is not part of the program. TSA is not a dumping ground for the Tackleberry’s of the world to inflict their own brand of authoritarian suppression upon weary travelers. Or maybe it is? Here’s a combination that could raise the hackles of TSA operatives in the Midwest:

• Work for the Ron Paul campaign.
• Carry a large sum of cash.
• Ask what laws, if any, apply to your situation.

If your name is Steve Bierfeldt and you are flying through St. Louis, this combo gets you hauled into a room and interrogated. Bierfeldt had the good sense to record the entire exchange. I sure am glad that I don’t fly that much anymore!

Ladies’ Night!

WASHINGTON—As part of his administration’s continued efforts to stimulate the economy and liven up a slow weeknight, President Obama announced today that, effective immediately, Tuesdays will be half-off for ladies nationwide. “It is imperative to our economic health that we inject capital wisely and get some blondes in here, preferably hot young ones,” said Obama, who submitted a proposal before Congress to increase tube-top usage by 200 percent. “We can only escape this recession with the full cooperation of the American people—so ladies, please, bring your girlfriends. When did this country turn into such a sausage fest?” According to estimates by the Department of the Interior, the first national Ladies’ Night will be attended by an estimated 117 million men and one bachelorette party.

Panhandling in Cali

California is proof. When the money runs out, folks don’t want to cough up more. “Beyond Draconian” is the term being bandied about to describe the proposed cuts. Some 235,000 state workers will have to take a 5 percent pay cut. Of the state’s 279 state parks, 200 will be closed. Schwarzenegger’s plan to dismantle the Cal Grant program — considered one of the nation’s best programs to help poorer students cover full fees or tuition at public colleges — would make California the first US state to eliminate student financial aid while raising tuition. A massive plan to overhaul healthcare in state prisons will be scaled back. A Senate bill which would have created a state-run system to provide healthcare to every Californian has been scrapped. A CalWorks program providing medical, dental, and vision care to 90,000 children will be eliminated. Hundreds of new spending programs have been sidelined, and the local budgets of cities and counties have been raided to make ends meet. California loves it’s wonderful programs, but turned down 5 measures in a recent election to actually pay for them. Oops.

It Just Happened

Good gosh…