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I didn't know...

I didn't know the president could override the FDA and release prescription drugs to be sold over the counter. So, I thought about it for a while.

Not long ago, the president touted some drugs used to treat malaria and blood related disease as effective in combating COVID-19. Despite the FDA warnings of those prescription medicine(s).
He stated "What do you have to lose?"

The first result was a frenzy of people getting prescriptions for these drugs.

chatillion... tell them what happened next.
Okay, it created a shortage for the people who were using those drugs all along as originally intended. People who didn't have the virus were taking it... including the group who claimed the virus was a hoax.

He's again pumping the idea of use of these drugs for the masses.

Are you shitting me?
Not at all... it's true.

Did these drugs actually work in preventing COVID-19?
Some tests were done in a hospital environment, most had varied results. Some patients developed serious side effects. To my knowledge, it was deemed ineffective by the FDA. Yet some say it's harmless and truly effective. It depends on who you ask. Much of the information comes from the internet and you will get 'factual' data that is 180 degrees of each other.

What are your thoughts about this now?
Let's take the bullshit and politics out of the equation.
I've always been skeptical of wild claims. Call them Miracle cures or great marketing, they are often designed to put money in someones pocket.

I remember the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx was taken off the market because someone who misused this medicine died. It was a great drug but who would have known... right?

Releasing a prescription drug as over the counter has some serious considerations:
Side effects and liability to the manufacturer.
Dosage must be determined. Is 100mg enough or 300mg too much? 2 times a day, 3 times?
Rounds of clinical trials must be performed as a drug for one disease has to be retested for another. All that has to be decided.
Licensing, distribution, packaging and availability must be considered.
Who owns the rights and who can make these drugs must be thought out long before releasing a program on a national basis.
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Flu season...

A few times this week I read stories about this years flu season and how people should prepare by getting flu shots. I find something really disturbing about that.
It's my understanding, Coronavirus is more contagious than the flu. We're already practicing social distancing, wearing masks in all public places, washing hands frequently, using hand sanitizer coming and going... and we now have to worry about flu virus too!

Months of stay-home orders, only going out when absolutely necessary, avoiding places that would be a risk of catching virus is barely working. Obviously some people aren't taking this serious and as a result COVID-19 isn't going away any time soon. Evidence that people aren't doing the right things.

Since we cannot drive the new cases down, we are also leaving ourselves open to spreading flu virus the same way. The thought of contacting the flu and COVID-19 at the same time is a reality. Two different viruses attacking the body at the same time

I've been taking flu shots every year now and thankful not to get hit... with the exception of the time a coworker returned from vacation and half the office was sick for a week. Thinking back, was this COVID-19? One guy who was severely affected, did an antibody test and he's negative. It was most likely a flu strain.

Most people I know who have to work are working from home and visiting the office only when absolutely necessary.

With all this awareness and precautions, catching the seasonal flu shouldn't be an issue... right?


Thanks for reading my blog... !!
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about that second coronavirus stimulus check...

There's talk that a second round of coronavirus stimulus check could be in the mail.
There's also talk (from the president) about fraud for mail-in voting
There's also talk of shutting down the post office.

Logically speaking, and all things considered... if your check is in the mail, there is a good chance it won't make it to you.
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Robert Trump... RIP

I see in the news, Robert Trump younger brother of Donald passed away today at the age of 71.
Officials did not immediately release the cause of death.
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Field trip to Miami...

I stopped to see a client and measure for some vanity cabinets today. It worked out good because I was on the way to Miami. My agenda was a planned visit to the Asian market. But first, a small detour... I pulled up in front of my old house.
Changes made by the new owner were immediately noticeable from the street.
This was perfect timing as the neighbor was planning to go out. He greeted me at his front gate and asked about the change of vehicles. The new owner also came out as her roommate was doing some landscaping. Many of the trees and shrubs were trimmed back and new ones were planted.

Discussion of the drowning of my old car and my new car changed as the owner invited us to see what transformation happened in the last 3 months. I immediately noticed the kitchen wall opened and all new cabinets, countertops and appliances were installed. Ceramic tile, central air, all new bathroom tile and fixtures, lots of new electrical upgrades, down lights everywhere. The window air conditioner units were gone and some windows were closed up on the Westerly exposure where the sun beats down on that side of the house.
She's got friends in the business and much of the work was at wholesale price, I'd estimate there were upgrades over $30,000 and they have much more to go. Impact windows and relocating the laundry are next on the list.

I was totally impressed no only with the amount of work done but with the design. Cutting the kitchen wall (to the living room) and creating a peninsula with sit-down turned 3 areas (kitchen, dining, living) into one functioning multi-purpose area!

Bravo.

One reason for the visit was to be sure she's not trashing any important (looking) mail that didn't get forwarded to my new address. Agreed she will pass to the neighbor and he will text me.


applause
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'Stick' around aka COVID-19 swab test...

She touched my brain... I'm sure of it.
A few days ago in the parking lot of Home Depot, I saw a taped off area with a tent that's used for COVID-19 walk-up testing. Expecting a long line, I could see only one person at the opening and 2 women walking up from their cars.
Should I?
My brother is requesting I visit him this year... not that I want to go. Actually, part of my retirement was to visit China for a few months. (side note, it's probably safer there now than America) At some point I'll want/require a test to travel.
So, we did it. Only a few seconds where a swab about 8 inches long is pressed into a nostril until it 'bottoms out' and then swirled around a bit before pulling the stick out.

The diagram below is not accurate. There's a hidden channel to the brain and the lab person must find it and try to perforate the thin membrane. In doing so, blood will come gushing out like the loser in a Kung Fu match. Luckily, I got out with only a scratch.


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Faded Photograph...

July has been a busy month for me. Lots of personal and business goals to accomplish. I made a do-list a while back and misplaced it, so I'm only responding to immediate concerns and the long-term goals are nearly forgotten. Before the pandemic, I lost more than 10 pounds with nightly walks and doing training to start a new job. Being home for 8+ weeks and the weight came back. We were getting rain nearly every afternoon/evening and that interrupted my schedule of walks.
Unless it's something mandatory, like taxes and bills, nearly everything else is on hold.
With the exception of a pulmonologist (for asthma) I pushed back on doctors, dentists and testing. Some of that is catching up on me and I'm doing blood work this month. Dentist is postponed. I dislike the idea of being in an open space with my mouth open for 30 minutes!

Talking to my brother tonight, he reminded me I drifted away from one of my projects... scanning old photos. Last month, I found an old sepia photo of a young guy playing guitar. Sometimes my parents would write on the back of the photo who the person (or people in a group shot) were. This one had some black paper stuck to the back so I know it was once part of my parents photo album. Many old photos were damaged years ago. Stored in luggage in the back part of a room addition where a roof leak damaged many old things. I salvaged whatever I could.

If you've had something that was water damaged and stayed wet for a long period of time, that smell of mold/mildew is something that doesn't escape the memory. I had to toss out old Hollywood moviestar magazines my grandmother collected that were damaged by water. Lots of times I'll visit a clients house and remark to them "Do you have a roof leak?" most are surprised as they are unaware of the odor in their own house. A few have come back to me with thanks as they called a roofer after my comment and did have a leak unknown to them.

Although, we weren't able to identify who the guitarist was. His faded photograph will stay in the collection of family friends.

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Let in Flow...

Top story on Yahoo this morning was the Trump administration easing the shower head rules. It appears to be a pet peeve of the president who complains he isn't getting wet enough.
Seriously, it's the 1960's again with burning coal, incandescent lights, no restrictions on the amount of water your toilet can flush and now no water saving with shower heads.

I feel a trend coming on...
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Mount Rushmore...

It's the talk that president Trump wants his face on Mount Rushmore, or at least he's suggested it would be a good idea. I'm thinking it's a joke, but some fact checking say it's true.
Sure Donald, you can bring it up as much as you want, but there's one stipulation...
You have to have died many years ago!!

I suppose they can privatize it and call it Mount Trumpmore.

laugh

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Raise your hand if you played a Beatles song backwards...

I was in 7th grade when my father bought a Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorder. It used 1/4" tape and normally played mono recordings. A mechanical control on the head allowed the user to convert it to stereo by connecting an add-on speaker box. Wattage was low and everything had tube circuitry.
These machines were built solid, probably 40 pounds, so much the school board used them in Audio Visual presentations.
Me, my dad and my brother all took turns using this tape recorder. My brother used to record single songs from 45's and make a 'party mix' for his friends. I recorded my rock band rehearsals for evaluation and my dad often recorded audio tracks from TV shows.

The way 1/4" recording tape is designed, you had 4 spaces for record/playback. 2 channel stereo used tracks 1 and 3. When the tape ended, you could flip the reels and play back the other side that was adjusted for tracks 2 and 4. There was enough separation that the head would only play the intended tracks. Since there was a stereo/mono switch, if you played a stereo recording in mono, there was a really good chance the 'cross talk' of the other tracks would come through the playback... in reverse.
Eventually something that sounded like: Moisuah, ska chipp chip dursennn ya bolumaga snit bosha, would come from the speakers.

In the world of Beatlemania, it was said The Beatles had recorded cryptic clues about the untimely death of Paul McCartney and his identical look-alike replacement, Billy Shears. In order to hear the messages, you needed to hear the record played backwards!
Piece of cake... right? Just break out the Wollensak and record the song, flip the tape, move the playback head to stereo and adjust the alignment to catch the opposite track running backwards.

"Turn me on dead man... Turn me on dead man.."

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That Wollensak was in my shed for more than 20 years. When I tried to use it, all the belts and rubber wheels had gummed out and rotted. Unless, you needed a really cool door stop, It was useless to keep it around.

I read the other day that many years later, McCartney publicity acknowledged the stunt about his passing was totally frabricated.
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The thing about YouTube...

I enjoy YouTube because it's filled with music videos, product and software tutorials, guitar lessons and everything in between. In many cases I can miss something on TV and catch it later on YouTube. Space launch or solar eclipse for example.
YouTube is the ultimate resource If you want to prove a political point... a handful of videos can be called up to support your idea. Equally, you can find a handful of videos that are 180 degrees from the first handful.

Not that I've actually watched these things, but there are things you can find on YouTube...

Supporting the flat earth theory? Check
What's inside the Pyramids of Giza? Check
Interviews with people who were in contact with extraterrestrials? Check
How to change a wax ring on a toilet? Check
4 hours of relaxing music? Check
How to make a potato cannon? Check
Tiny Tim's wedding to Miss Vicki? Check
Macho trucks with tires four feet high? Check
Busty Asian women catching fish? Check
How to make a guitar in 30 minutes? Check
Dude Perfect shooting basketballs from a rooftop? Check
How to change the headlights on a Corvette? Check
Exploding eggs in a microwave? Check
Outtakes of Crocodile Dundee? Check
The second gunman at the grassy knoll conspiracy? Check
What are Chicken McNuggets really made of? Check

You get the idea... but what would life be without YouTube?
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Redhead...

Not that I'm looking, but nearly all the redheaded women I've met had color from a bottle. It's rare to find a true redhead. The part I find interesting is all the sayings (and misconceptions) about redheaded women and their s*xual prowess... comments about fiery personalities, etc.

About 2% of the population have red hair. Unfortunately, the young girls were teased in grade school and often treated as outcasts for being different. It wasn't until they were adults did the boys who laughed find them attractive. To this, I believe there's somewhat of a vendetta that redheads have about men. It's my opinion, but I'm sure someone will have to tell me how wrong I am!

laugh

I did hit a website with some redhead facts... most of them were 'off the scale crazy' but some appeared to be valid.
I'll list a few:

Red hair doesn’t gray as much as other hair colors. Red hair initially tends to turn blond and then white.

Otherwise dark hair may turn red or blond in cases of severe protein deficiency due to starvation.

Satan is often portrayed as a redhead most likely because red was viewed as the color of s*xual desire and moral degradation.

According to a Clairol Color Attitude survey, 71% of redheads think that the word “bold” describes them, which is 24 points ahead of blonds.

While Scotland has the highest proportion (13%) of redheads (followed by Ireland with 10%), the United States has the largest population of redheads in the world, with between 6-18 million redheads, or 2-6% of the population.

“Gingerphobia” is a fear of redheads. “Gingerism” is the bullying or prejudice of redheads.

Redheaded women report bruising more easily than other women of different hair colors.

Because redheads have thicker hair than people with other hair colors, they have fewer strands of hair. For example, while blondes have on average 140,000 hairs, redheads have approximately 90,000.

According to Hamburg sex researcher Dr. Werner Habermehl, women with red hair have more sex than women with other hair colors. He also postulates that women in a relationship who dye their hair red may be signaling that they are unhappy and looking for something better.
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