“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Our Esteemed President, Barack Obama, is selling "Big Fucking Deal" tee shirts on his website
This is hard to believe but before they take this down, which I expect they will, go to Barack Obama's on line store.
The Democrats went to DC and all I got was this BFD tee shirt...(except that I don't have the $25 tee shirt.) At least I still have a shirt on my back but with Obama adding 16K new IRS agents, I don't know how long I'll have that.
Here's the most overlooked potential "problem" as I see it: We're at approx the same place on the crude price curve ($85.00/bbl) that we were when we started sliding into recession in 2007.
Are circumstance the same? Of course not. Will it take $100.00/bbl oil, or higher, to do what $85.00 oil did then? Perhaps. I really don't have a clue. Jes Sayin.
Today is the day Christ is harrowing Hades, actually a happy mythological theme. Let us all reach down with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and help in this mighty work. Or, we might get our heads straight, grow up, and think about the transfiguration, an even happier theme.
--A recent Scottish study found that those who take statins increase their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 9 percent — a risk doctors would deem acceptable in a patient with high cholesterol in danger of heart attack and stroke. But is the risk worth it in healthy adults?
--Researchers at the East Texas Medical Center found that 66 percent of patients developed heart problems similar to those that can lead to heart failure after taking the statin drug Lipitor for six months, probably due to the statin's side effect of depleting the body's store of CoQ10.
--Another new study showed that the statin drug simvastatin gives a one-two punch to the immune system. Italian scientists found that simvastatin (sold under the names of Zocor and Simvacor) hinders the ability of the body's immune cells to kill pathogens, and increases the production of cytokines, which trigger and sustain inflammation.
--Dr. Beatrice Golomb of the University of California San Diego: Golomb is concerned about the effects statins have on mood and memory. "It's common to find patients on the drugs who report trouble finding the right word or forgetting what task they are supposed to be doing," she told the Daily Mail. Golomb also had patients who were irritable, hostile, and had homicidal impulses. Other patients had cognitive problems while taking statins. "After a couple of months of statin use, one top accountant could no longer balance a checkbook and was fired."
--According to the Mayo Clinic, additional side effects of statins include muscle pain, liver damage, digestive problems, and rashes or flushing.
------------
What will be the criteria for prescribing statins? Instead of cholesterol levels being the main guideline used to determine who should take them, a test that measures the level of inflammation in the body will be part of the new criteria. Inflammation, some experts believe, is one of the causes of cardiovascular problems.
The FDA's decision was based on the recommendations of advisory panels, many of whose members had close ties to the drug industry as paid consultants
Statins To Be Pushed for Healthy People?
“The benefit is vanishingly small,” Dr. Steven W. Seiden , a cardiologist in Rockville Centre, N.Y. told The New York Times. “It just turns a lot of healthy people into patients and commits them to a lifetime of medication.”
Lt, every male on my father's side, it seems, has had a heart attack before he was 63. I'm 62. (Plus, when I started on Simvastatin I had very high bad cholesterol, and very low "good" cholesterol.) I'll let you know how it works out for me.
I Never, Ever, said that anyone other than me should take statins. I may "play a sane person" on the internet, but I do not impersonate Doctors.
I, really, for the life of myself, can't understand why you would say that. I'm, quite frankly, disappointed.
Doctor Golomb understands your predicament, Rufus.
"It's common to find patients on the drugs who report trouble finding the right word or forgetting what task they are supposed to be doing," she told the Daily Mail. Golomb also had patients who were irritable, hostile, and had homicidal impulses. Other patients had cognitive problems while taking statins. "After a couple of months of statin use, one top accountant could no longer balance a checkbook and was fired."
That you have forgotten is to be expected.
I was simply being charitable by giving you the opportunity to discover your words and acknowledge them, or change your tune if you so chose.
If you begin to feel irritible, hostile, or have homocidal impulses, please don't take it out on the dog.
I Never, Ever, said that anyone other than me should take statins. I may "play a sane person" on the internet, but I do not impersonate Doctors.
Or this Rufus?
Guys, you're crazy if you don't get on the generic Zocor, at the least.
Whole comment for sake of full disclosure:
rufus said...
For anyone with "risk factors," ie. family history, smoking, boozing, overweight, etc.) it's now been shown that Statin Drugs reduce your risk of death by heart attack by 50% (even if you have Low Cholesterol!)
Guys, you're crazy if you don't get on the generic Zocor, at the least. Sat Nov 15, 04:55:00 PM EST.
Which raises yet another question. Does Kathleen Sebelius have a sock puppet named Rufus?
In case you're wondering, I don't obsess on your posts to the extent I track everything, waiting for a gotcha moment. This statin issue and your comment just happened to come up at a time when I'd been tracking the controversy. Shortly after that I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. It's manageable with diet and mild medication. I got too lazy and fat, and had to clean up my act a little. Statins would not have been beneficial to me prior to the later diagnosis. I didn't realize it at the time.
It is not hard to believe, at all, that Team Obama would be proud of Mr Biden's statement about Health Insurance Reform being a "BFD".
ReplyDeleteWhat is hard to believe is that you would not appreciate that it was a "BFD".
Comparable to FDR passing Social Security, or LBJ passing Civil Rights legislation over Barry Goldwater's objections.
Neither of those pieces of Social Legislation were ever repealed, neither will Health Insurance Reform.
Another piece of progress.
I mean, really, they passed Health Insurance reform and the least we will get, a Tee-shirt, now that's a real deal, amigos.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats went to DC and all I got was this BFD tee shirt...(except that I don't have the $25 tee shirt.) At least I still have a shirt on my back but with Obama adding 16K new IRS agents, I don't know how long I'll have that.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats went to DC and all I got was this BFD tee shirt
ReplyDelete:)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAt least I still have a shirt on my back but with Obama adding 16K new IRS agents, I don't know how long I'll have that.
ReplyDelete(;
It's a beautiful day
Here's the most overlooked potential "problem" as I see it: We're at approx the same place on the crude price curve ($85.00/bbl) that we were when we started sliding into recession in 2007.
ReplyDeleteAre circumstance the same? Of course not. Will it take $100.00/bbl oil, or higher, to do what $85.00 oil did then? Perhaps. I really don't have a clue. Jes Sayin.
Battle fatigue?
ReplyDeleteWord is, traffic on all cable news programs, political blogs, etc is Down. Fatigue from the H/C battle is being blamed. It's not just the EB.
Today is the day Christ is harrowing Hades, actually a happy mythological theme. Let us all reach down with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and help in this mighty work. Or, we might get our heads straight, grow up, and think about the transfiguration, an even happier theme.
ReplyDeleteStatins
ReplyDelete--A recent Scottish study found that those who take statins increase their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 9 percent — a risk doctors would deem acceptable in a patient with high cholesterol in danger of heart attack and stroke. But is the risk worth it in healthy adults?
--Researchers at the East Texas Medical Center found that 66 percent of patients developed heart problems similar to those that can lead to heart failure after taking the statin drug Lipitor for six months, probably due to the statin's side effect of depleting the body's store of CoQ10.
--Another new study showed that the statin drug simvastatin gives a one-two punch to the immune system. Italian scientists found that simvastatin (sold under the names of Zocor and Simvacor) hinders the ability of the body's immune cells to kill pathogens, and increases the production of cytokines, which trigger and sustain inflammation.
--Dr. Beatrice Golomb of the University of California San Diego: Golomb is concerned about the effects statins have on mood and memory. "It's common to find patients on the drugs who report trouble finding the right word or forgetting what task they are supposed to be doing," she told the Daily Mail. Golomb also had patients who were irritable, hostile, and had homicidal impulses. Other patients had cognitive problems while taking statins. "After a couple of months of statin use, one top accountant could no longer balance a checkbook and was fired."
--According to the Mayo Clinic, additional side effects of statins include muscle pain, liver damage, digestive problems, and rashes or flushing.
------------
What will be the criteria for prescribing statins? Instead of cholesterol levels being the main guideline used to determine who should take them, a test that measures the level of inflammation in the body will be part of the new criteria. Inflammation, some experts believe, is one of the causes of cardiovascular problems.
The FDA's decision was based on the recommendations of advisory panels, many of whose members had close ties to the drug industry as paid consultants
Statins To Be Pushed for Healthy People?
“The benefit is vanishingly small,” Dr. Steven W. Seiden , a cardiologist in Rockville Centre, N.Y. told The New York Times. “It just turns a lot of healthy people into patients and commits them to a lifetime of medication.”
newsmax
------------
The Health Care Czar of the Elephant Bar thinks healthy persons ought to be on statins.
We report.
You decide.
Lt, every male on my father's side, it seems, has had a heart attack before he was 63. I'm 62. (Plus, when I started on Simvastatin I had very high bad cholesterol, and very low "good" cholesterol.) I'll let you know how it works out for me.
ReplyDeleteI Never, Ever, said that anyone other than me should take statins. I may "play a sane person" on the internet, but I do not impersonate Doctors.
I, really, for the life of myself, can't understand why you would say that. I'm, quite frankly, disappointed.
Oops, I'm 63. Part of that article, at least, seems to be right.
ReplyDeleteYour disappointment notwithstanding, you said it, not me.
ReplyDeleteGo check the archives.
No, LT. You're making the accusation. The onus is on you.
ReplyDeleteDon't bother, though. I never said "everyone should take statins." That would be ludicrous.
Almost as ludicrous as telling someone to prove that he didn't say what he didn't say.
This is beneath you, Bubba.
Doctor Golomb understands your predicament, Rufus.
ReplyDelete"It's common to find patients on the drugs who report trouble finding the right word or forgetting what task they are supposed to be doing," she told the Daily Mail. Golomb also had patients who were irritable, hostile, and had homicidal impulses. Other patients had cognitive problems while taking statins. "After a couple of months of statin use, one top accountant could no longer balance a checkbook and was fired."
That you have forgotten is to be expected.
I was simply being charitable by giving you the opportunity to discover your words and acknowledge them, or change your tune if you so chose.
If you begin to feel irritible, hostile, or have homocidal impulses, please don't take it out on the dog.
Will the real Rufus please rise?
ReplyDeleteIs it this Rufus?
I Never, Ever, said that anyone other than me should take statins. I may "play a sane person" on the internet, but I do not impersonate Doctors.
Or this Rufus?
Guys, you're crazy if you don't get on the generic Zocor, at the least.
Whole comment for sake of full disclosure:
rufus said...
For anyone with "risk factors," ie. family history, smoking, boozing, overweight, etc.) it's now been shown that Statin Drugs reduce your risk of death by heart attack by 50% (even if you have Low Cholesterol!)
Guys, you're crazy if you don't get on the generic Zocor, at the least.
Sat Nov 15, 04:55:00 PM EST.
Which raises yet another question. Does Kathleen Sebelius have a sock puppet named Rufus?
I can't find it. Give me a link.
ReplyDeleteComment @ 4:55 pm
ReplyDeleteYep, it's me that's the "ludicrous" one.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies; you were right.
Have a nice Easter, Rufus.
ReplyDeleteOr what's left of it.
It's threatening rain over here.
In case you're wondering, I don't obsess on your posts to the extent I track everything, waiting for a gotcha moment. This statin issue and your comment just happened to come up at a time when I'd been tracking the controversy. Shortly after that I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. It's manageable with diet and mild medication. I got too lazy and fat, and had to clean up my act a little. Statins would not have been beneficial to me prior to the later diagnosis. I didn't realize it at the time.